Forest of Purity
by K. Higurashi
Summary: Guarding a forest isn't that difficult, in fact it's rather boring. However everything soon changes when a certain hanyou drops in heavily injured. Transformed into a boy of the human age of five, Kagome has to protect him from the world, especially Kikyo
1. The Spell

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Here's a new story! I hope everyone likes it! Remember to R&R!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 1. The Spell**

The cooling breeze stirred the leaves of the enormous trees, the foliage rustling against each other noisily. It was peaceful in the forest, birds singing a lovely tune, brown rabbits leaping in the tall mounds of grass in search of food. Their ears had perked at an on coming sound of a foot landing on a branch and pressing on it to bounce off. They had dashed away for cover, not wanting to be caught by the predator.

He breathed in deeply, clenching his teeth together and gritting them. He clutched onto his bleeding arm to stop the blood flow, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment due to the pain in his limb before opening them again. His foot had touched yet another branch and he leapt upwards, just barely dodging an arrow. His white appendages on his head had twitched backwards at the sound of a yelling voice.

_"Inuyasha!"_

The hanyou growled, focusing his golden orbs ahead, leaping once more. 'Damn it.. I don't know if I can do this for much longer..' He hissed when another arrow had struck him, but in his leg. He stopped briefly, only to pull the arrow out of his wound and throw it away. 'Damn her..' He growled, leaping again into another tree. 'Damn you, Kikyo.'

The woman chuckled darkly, following closely behind the hanyou. "Soon, you will meet your fate, half breed."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, 'Shit!' There was a field dividing him from another section of the forest. A very wide field. He cursed under his breath and leapt out of the safety of the trees into the field, his baggy red haorie almost falling off his shoulders. 'Shit shit shit!' He made for another leap, but failed.

Another arrow had pierced his side, causing him to cough up a crimson liquid from his lips. 'N-no..' He fell to his knees, grabbing the arrow from his side and throwing it away. 'I c-can't die like this.'

"You were destined to die, Inuyasha." Kikyo walked out from the darkness of the forest, readying another arrow.

'No I wasn't..' "Fuck off." He managed to bark out before using the last of his energy for a final leap. He had landed on the outskirt of the forest before his eyes began to get foggy.

"Die…" He had heard her say, hearing the twang of the string from her bow.

'No..' Inuyasha clenched his eyes shut, but felt no more pain than what was already inflicted upon him. He had turned briefly and gaped at what he saw. There was a barrier around him. More specifically, around the entire forest area he had just leaped into. "Wh-what the.."

Kikyo blinked, "What's this? A barrier?" She laughed, "You were lucky, half breed. Unfortunately for you however, I am able to break any form of barrier with my spiritual powers. Your death will not be postponed." She pulled her bowstring back and shot another arrow, the object glowing a bright pink before hitting the barrier.

He had completely collapsed into the soft green grass. Inuyasha only watched, not able to move his body anymore. The last thing he remembered was seeing her surprised look and a barrage of arrows shoot back at her.

A woman wearing a green and white priestess uniform emerged from the shadows of the forest behind the barrier, readying her bow once more.

Kikyo gasped and formed her own barrier, the wall shortly falling after the first round of arrows, too weak to stay up. 'Who has the power to do such a thing?' She narrowed her eyes at the figure approaching the barrier.

"Who dares attempt to interrupt the peace within these walls?" The voice questioned strongly. Her brown orbs glittering in anger.

Kikyo snorted, "My name is Kikyo, I am a priestess of the village near these forests." She growled, 'This is the first time I encounter this woman and yet she seems vaguely familiar to me.'

"Kikyo you say?" The girl frowned, "You are unwelcome here. This forest rejects you as do I. Leave at once."

Kikyo bit the inside of her cheek to keep from shouting, "I only ask that in return you give me the hanyou. It is my duty to rid him from this earth."

"No, this creature is to stay with me." She replied.

"Give me the half breed, girl."

"My name is Higurashi Kagome. I am the protector of the Forest of Purity and all that resides within it. You Kikyo, under no circumstances, may trespass here again to retrieve this boy. If ever you do, you will suffer the consequences." Kagome bit out.

Kikyo smirked, "Ah, so it is you, Kagome-_sama_. I was never aware of the location of the Forest of Purity, but now that I do.. Be warned, for I will return to retrieve him without fail." With that said, she had turned her back and left the scene.

Kagome huffed and lowered her bow, placing the arrow back into its quiver. She walked over to the silver haired man and moved him to get a better look. 'Im-impossible!' She gasped, 'In-Inuyasha?' She furrowed her brows, 'But I clearly remember watching him fall into here at a much older age than this!' She wrapped the small boy in the red haorie and grabbed the hakamas and sword from the grass.

'He's only a boy that looks no older than the human age of five.' She walked back into the depths of her forest.

'What happened to him?'

.:.:.:. Kagome's Home .:.:.:.

The young maiden stirred the soup with her ladle to ensure that the food would not burn above the heat of the fire pit. She brought the ladle to her mouth and tested the substance, nodding her approval before pouring a bowl. She sat down next to the sleeping boy, placing the bowl down next to him.

Kagome chewed her bottom lip nervously, 'Should I wake him up?' Her hand hovered over the boy's shoulder hesitantly. "Maybe I should let him sleep a bit longer." She whispered, moving her fingers instead to his head, brushing a few silvery locks away from his face. She pulled her hand away quickly when his face scrunched and his body shifted.

He could feel pain, but it wasn't a searing pain, just dull throbs coming from various points of his body. He shivered, feeling eyes on him but sniffed. It was a woman, and she smelled nice… Was that stew he could smell too? His golden orbs opened, he shifted his body, his eyes meeting with glowing brown pools. 'A-a priestess!!' He froze up and pushed himself away from his warm bed and away from her. The wall of the hut stopped his further attempts to get away from her.

Kagome blinked, "I'm not going to hurt you. It's okay, don't be afraid." She smiled warmly.

He visibly trembled and shook his head.

Kagome stared at him sadly, "I can see why you wouldn't want to trust me, Inuyasha. At the very least, could you please have some food? You can leave my home after that, but not this forest. Otherwise, Kikyo will be able to catch you."

Inuyasha eye's widened, his trembling ceasing, 'She's helping.. me?' "H-how do you know m-my name?" His tiny voice squeaked.

Kagome laughed, "You may not remember, but we were friends when we were little." She stood and walked over to the pot of stew, pouring a bowl for herself. "That doesn't matter now though. What matters is that you stay inside my barrier. I found traces of black magic on you while I was tending your wounds. Until I find a way to break the spell, you have to stay under the protection of the barrier."

He stared down at the hot soup near his bed. He nodded and shyly crawled to his bowl, sniffing it. He had also finally noticed that he was wearing odd clothing, a small blue robe and a sash.

"Your clothes are a bit big on you, Inuyasha. I gave you an old outfit that my brother used to wear. Don't worry, I'll make you some pants tomorrow." She reassured him.

He nodded his head, taking the soup and sitting back into his corner, continuing to sniff the stew before taking a small sip. "What's… your name?" He asked, just above a whisper. His ears twitched, hearing her say 'Kagome'. He sipped his stew and ate the vegetables and meat.

Kagome stared out the window of her hut, the stars barely visible due to the light of the fire inside her home. "But you can call me Kag-chan if you want." She placed her empty bowl down.

"Gome-chan."

"Hmm?"

"I like.. Gome-chan's food." Inuyasha put down his empty bowl.

'Gome-chan?' Kagome inwardly smiled, 'That's what he used to call me.' "You can have more if you like."

"No." He yawned widely, and then rubbed his eyes.

Kagome stood and walked to him, he visibly tensed as she drew nearer but then lowered his guard when she merely patted his head, telling him it was time for bed. He had argued that he wasn't tired, but those protests went unheard of as she picked him up and placed him in his temporary bed. He was already asleep when she tucked him in.

"Silly Inuyasha, you always were stubborn." She patted his leg and walked out of the hut, leaving the fire to burn and keep the hanyou warm.

.:.:.:. The Next Morning .:.:.:.

Inuyasha sprung out of his bed, his injuries completely healed and his energy restored. He crouched down doggy style and sniffed the hut. He could smell Kagome's scent, but it was old. She hadn't been in the hut for a long time.

He was now on high alert, his ears twitching at any sound that happened outside the hut. He suddenly could hear someone approaching. He narrowed his eyes and prepared himself.

Kagome moved the doormat from her view and entered the hut with fresh fruit in her arms. Well, they were in her arms, until something had mulled her to the ground. "Eeek!" She gasped, falling.

Inuyasha blinked, looking up at the groaning girl and down at the fruit sitting in the grass. "Hn? Gome-chan?"

Kagome nodded her head slightly, "Inuyasha, just what exactly were you trying to do?" She sat up, his form falling into her lap as she rubbed the back of her head.

He blushed in embarrassment, "Protect the hut.." He replied sheepishly. He glanced up at her, his eyes watering, "I-I h-hurt Go-Gome-chan."

Kagome tensed, "No you didn't! I'm fine, don't worry Inuyasha. Please don't cry." She said. She gingerly took one of his dog-ears between her fingers and rubbed it soothingly.

He sniffled then dried his tears, relaxing as she rubbed his appendage. He felt her move him and place him in the grass, her fingers having left his ear. "Hn?"

"I need to bring the fruit in and wash them. I also have a small surprise for you." She winked at him, taking the dropped fruit and entering the hut. He soon followed her and sat down as she dug inside a basket at the back of the hut for something. "Aha!" He heard her muttered. She had revealed to him a pair of blue pants, the same blue as his robe and given it to him. "I know you hate not wearing pants, so last night I found material and sewed this for you."

He blushed, thanking her and changing as she had her back turned, washing the fruit. He leapt to her side afterwards, and helped her.

Though Kagome had yet to know that this was merely the beginning of an unexpected transformation in her life. That soon she would have to face great troubles and turmoil's waiting for her just ahead.

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**A/N It's short, but sweet I find. For this story I think I'm going to keep the chapters relatively short but I'll update quickly since I have nothing better to do with my life lol. Don't be shy and R&R!!**

**Kag: OOOOooooo, he's sooooo kawaii! With his big eyes and cute ears and--**

**Inu: Kagome! You're embarrassing me!! –blushes-**

**Kag: Oh please, that isn't even you! It's just an actor that looks like you when you were a kid! You don't even get to be in this fanfict except maybe in flashbacks… oh and possibly in the end..**

**Inu: Damnit!! WHY THE HELL NOT!! Do something about this ya damn author!**

**Moi: -glares- OH I will… SIT BOY!**

**Inu: Wh- -face plant-**

**Moi: That's right.. In my fanficts I also have the power to sit you! Bawahahahaha! … Moving on…**

**Kag: -sweat drop- R&R!!**


	2. Helpful voices

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Hmmmmm, seems like I'm on a lot of story alerts with everyone! Woo! I'm glad you guys like the story so far, sorry for the short chappies… but at least an update comes quick eh?**

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Forest of Purity

**Chapter 2. Helpful voice****s**

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His little hand gripped onto Kagome's leg tightly as they walked around the forest. She was leading them to a hot spring since the both of them were filthy beyond belief. She had patted his head and giggled as he looked up at her shyly. Kagome began to notice that he was getting a bit tired from their walk, yet they were still a good fifteen minutes out. She stopped and glanced down at Inuyasha, kneeling.

"Inuyasha? How about I carry you."

Inuyasha blushed, looking down at his feet, trying his best to fight back a yawn. "I can walk Gome-chan." He mumbled. He yipped suddenly, when he felt her scoop him up with ease into her arms, bringing him to her chest.

"Don't be so silly." She smiled, adjusting him comfortably into her arms before walking again. She could feel him gradually relax in her arms, his little hands gripping onto her shirt, his face digging into her neck. He fell asleep very quickly in her arms, as she walked. 'You are just too adorable.' She thought.

They had finally reached the hot springs. Kagome rubbed his shoulder, whispering for him to wake up. Inuyasha had tiredly opened his eyes and blinked a few times.

"Gome-chan? We there?"

"Yes we are. I'm going to put you down now."

After she had done so, they had quickly gotten out of their garments and into the hot water. Inuyasha had turned away as she undressed and didn't enter the water until she was in it first and fully emerged. He didn't quite feel comfortable looking at this girl without any garments, no matter how motherly she was treating him. There was also a voice at the back of his head nagging him to not look.

'I hope Gome-chan is in the water.' His ears twitched, 'Yup she is.'

He undressed and got into the water as well, telling her not to peek as he dove in.

Kagome laughed, "Alright, you're in the water now, so let me wash your hair." She had opened the bag that she had brought along and taken out an herbal mix she had made. "How are your wounds Inuyasha? All healed up?"

He nodded vigorously, "An Inu hanyou heals very fast." He stated.

"That's good. Now turn around." She had scrubbed his hair with the herbs, being mindful of his ears. She had also brought soap with her, and washed all the dirt off of herself.

_'I owe the wench big time for this.'_

Inuyasha blinked, his ears twitching, "Who said that?" He mumbled.

"Hm?"

"You say something Gome-chan?" Inuyasha asked quietly, having changed back into his clothes.

"No."

He furrowed his brows, 'Who said that?'

Kagome shrugged her shoulders, 'He is just a boy, maybe he has an imaginary friend.' "Come on Inuyasha, let's go back." She said, after she had changed into some clean garments and placed everything back into her bag.

"H-hai." He ran to her, grabbing onto her pant leg as they walked.

.:.:.:. Back at the hut .:.:.:.

Kagome's hand hovered above Inuyasha as he blinked owly at her. "I still can't feel anything beyond the black aura. I'm sorry, I'm sure some sort of hint will come up eventually. I promise Inuyasha, I will get rid of this spell." She vowed.

His ears drooped, 'How old am I really? Gome-chan, I don't like this..'

_'Cheer up twerp, she'll find a way.'_

"Who said that?" He whispered.

Kagome, from her spot near the fire, glanced back at him. "Hn? Who said what?"

Inuyasha blinked, looking around the hut, twitching his ears for any noises outside the hut. It was a males voice that he had heard, and it was the second time he heard it. He shrugged, "I can hear someone talking." He looked up at her, "But there's no one."

Kagome tilted her head, thinking for a moment, "Maybe you're just hearings things?"

"But it's the second time, Gome-chan." He whined.

Kagome stood up and walked over to him, crouching down to stare at him. "Second.. time?" She continued to look into his eyes curiously. "Maybe you have a fever?" She placed her hand on his forehead, shaking her head, "No, you're fine."

He sniffled, "W-what's wrong with me?"

She rubbed one of his ears affectionately, "Inu-chan, I'm sure it's nothing. How about we play outside?"

"O-okay." He nodded, cracking a small smile before running out the matt door.

Kagome sighed, 'I wonder if I'll ever have the privilege of becoming a mother?' She trudged over to the fire pit and put out the small flame. Her head had shot up quickly as she heard her little companion yell in fright. 'Inuyasha!' She stood and ran to the door, grabbing her bow and quiver of arrows before leaving the hut.

She had found him in the centre of a mob of growling wolves. 'What are they doing here? This isn't part of their hunting grounds.' She strung an arrow and shot her first bolt at the wolves, purposely missing them, but successfully grabbing their attention.

"That's a warning. Leave now." She hissed.

The alpha wolf stepped away from the pack, walking towards her. A low growl was heard and fangs were bared dangerously at the miko. He soon leaped at her, howling loudly with his claws extended in front of him.

Kagome gripped her bow and effortlessly knocked the wolf aside in midair, using her purification abilities to boost her strength. She heard the animal yip as it hit a tree before the remaining wolves attacked her, leaving Inuyasha to hide behind a tree.

'Gome-chan!' Inuyasha thought, visibly shaking, tears forming in his eyes.

Kagome kept knocking them away, gasping as one had bit into her leg. She hissed in pain and knocked that one away as well, 'Why are they here? Their hunting grounds are out east from these woods!' She thought as she began to form a barrier to knock them all out at once. 'There's too many!' Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the alpha recovering from the blow and preparing to attack her once again.

'_Ir—ron..Iron..'A voice echoed in his mind._

Inuyasha's ears perked, 'Na-nani?' His tears dried.

_'Ir-r-ron rea—v.. er.. rea.. ver.. iro.. n.. rea.. ver..'The echoed continued in broken syllables. _

He closed his eyes, 'Iron reaver?'

'What's that?' The little hanyou mentally questioned.

Kagome hissed as another wolf clawed at her hand, her bow dropped from her grip. 'M-My bow!' She bit her lip and grabbed the wolf, sending it shocks of pure power causing some fur to fall from its body. 'Take that!' She mentally grinned and prepared herself for the next round of wolves.

The alpha had dug its hind claws into the ground before dashing off towards the miko. He howled loudly, saliva escaping from its mouth.

_'Iro…n….rea…ver…s..s..so… ul…so..soul…'_

The little hanyou's body was enveloped in a warm silver light. 'I know that voice..'

'_Ste..ealer..!'_

'It's my voice..!'

The light glowed brighter, his form beginning to grow slightly before the sudden brightness disappeared in a flash. His eyes snapped opened, sparkling dark orbs blazing with an urge to fight. He leapt out from behind the protection of the trees, his demonic abilities allowing him to jump high up into the air and land softly on the ground. He had growled loudly and began barking in Inu language at the alpha, his tiny fangs bared at it.

The alpha wolf slid to a stop, his claws digging into the mounds of dirt. He growled and had instead decided to run at Inuyasha. Kagome had yelled at him to hide, but her voice was not heard above the growls and howls of the wolves. She winced as another injured her arm. 'No Inuyasha!' She thought in alarm.

His claws glowed, and his eyes held a familiar glint in them, "Iron reaver soul _stealer_!" He shouted, five blades of light escaping his claws and slicing the alpha males side.

The remainder of the wolves yipped as their alpha yelped in pain. The Inu pup landed softly on the grass before turning to the wolves and running at them.

Kagome's eyes widened at his speed for such a small boy, and his attack. 'Wait a minute, was he always that size? He looks a bit taller..' She knocked other wolves aside with small barriers. The two of them kept them away and watched them leave in fear with their tails between their legs.

Inuyasha panted, walking over to Kagome. He looked up at her, "Gome-chan?"

She had hugged him fiercely, holding his small form against her body tightly. "I'm sorry you were frightened. But I'm glad you're safe. I'm very proud of you Inuyasha, for scaring them off like that."

Inuyasha nuzzled her, trying his best to calm her. "Gome-chan, I can smell blood. You're hurt." His voice cracked.

She shook her head, "I'm fine. I'll heal." She pulled away, "This has never happened before Inuyasha, so I will have to have a chat with the leader of those wolves."

He blinked curiously at her, "The alpha can't speak human Gome-chan."

She shook her head at him and stood, walking over to her abandoned bow, "Not those wolves. The wolf prince, Kouga." She snatched the bow and returned to him, in time to see his eyes flicker to anger before returning to the innocent golden pools. 'Hn? I thought I saw something there for a moment.' She hissed, feeling her leg sting from the bite. 'I have to treat these before they get infected.'

Inuyasha caught her low gasp and clutched onto her hand, interrupting her thoughts to lead her into the hut. "Gome-chan! You're hurt! Please heal."

Kagome sighed in defeat, allowing him to pull her into the home. She had watched him gather up the container of fresh water, rags and bandages around the hut with interest. 'He knows where everything is already.' She thought from her spot on the floor. She blinked down at him as he placed everything in front of her.

"Gome-chan! Please heal." He begged.

She stared at him for a moment, his big golden eyes staring back at her, clouded with worry. 'The poor boy.' She nodded and began to take off her shirt. He had turned around and waited patiently, his ears twitching as she pulled the rag and dipped it in the water before placing it on her wounds.

'If only I hadn't run away.. If only I was stronger..' Inuyasha's ears drooped in sadness. 'I promise I will protect you Gome-chan! I will!'

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**A/N AWWW, little Inu feels bad.. It's okay though, everything will work out. Well, here's another chapter done! R&R!**

**Kag: Next chapter I get to see Kouga!**

**Inu: What are you so excited for? That mangy wolf is nothing but trouble!**

**Kag: Jealous much?**

**Inu: -glares- I'm not jealous.**

**Kag: Just because he can claim in undying love for me and you can't doesn't mean you can give me attitude mister.**

**Inu: Keh!**

**Mir: It isn't wise for you to test her Inuyasha…**

**San: The hentai is right.**

**Inu: -growls-**

**San: R&R!!**


	3. The Prince of Wolves

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N NEW CHAPTER! Thank you so far for your reviews! Chibi Inu is definitely tooooo cute!! Continue to… REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 3. The Prince of Wolves**

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After many applications of ointments, herbs and bandages, Kagome was finally ready to leave. She was sure to treat her wounds carefully since Inuyasha wouldn't let her leave with improper treatments. He didn't want her to collapse suddenly or let an infection occur.

"Inu-chan, can I leave you here for a day? Or do you want to come with me to see the wolf prince?" Kagome asked, after re-knotting her hakamas.

_'Protect' _

"I wanna come Gome-chan." Inuyasha piped, "Please?"

Kagome nodded, placing her quiver on her back and tucking her bow on her shoulder. She grabbed Inuyasha's small hand and tugged him out of the hut.

"There are plenty fruit trees on the way to Kouga's den, so we can eat our lunch on the way there." She assured him.

Inuyasha nodded his head, holding her hand tightly, "Gome-chan? Will the wolves attack again?"

She shook her head, "I don't know, but I will have them removed from the protection of this barrier if they do. I gave them a chance, they knew that my home and the hot springs were out of bounds for hunting grounds."

"Barrier?"

She smiled, "Yes, a barrier expands from the beginning of the forest all the way to Kouga's den. It spread all over the Forest of Purity, protecting all those with pure hearts."

Inuyasha blushed, "B-but I'm a h-hanyou! I'm not pure.."

She stopped and stared down at the embarrassed and sad boy, "No such thing. You are no such thing, Inuyasha." She crouched down and picked him up, holding him to her chest as she continued to walk. "I said, only those with pure hearts, Inu-chan." She repeated, "You are welcomed in my forest as long as you keep your heart pure. Besides that, I don't find you impure at all. In fact, I adore hanyou's. And sometimes… I wish I was one."

"Really?" He asked.

She nodded, "Oh yes, because you would have the abilities of a demon, but still have a human heart. At the very least, I've always wanted to have a child like you. A child that's part demon." She smiled brightly.

He smiled brightly too. His nose had twitched, "Mmm, I smell fruit Gome-chan! Apples!"

She continued to walk with him and pointed to a fruit tree ahead, "Over there, do you see it?"

"An apple tree!"

"That's right. Why don't we stop and grab some?"

"Oh! Can we Gome-chan?"

"Of course."

The remainder of the trip to the den was cheerful. Inuyasha paid close attention to his friends wounds while they chatted, noting every wince she made and was careful with her. She was a fragile human after all. He had suggested breaks throughout the trip, mentally whimpering when he noticed her bite her bottom lip and wince.

'I should have protected her..' He thought before the smell of wolf wafted to his nose. "Hn?"

"We're here." Kagome announced, "And we'll be staying the night. It took us longer than I thought to get here, but I'm sure Kouga-kun won't mind." She told the boy.

There were cave entrances everywhere surrounding a beautiful river with a waterfall. Luscious greenery also covered the grounds nicely. Many wolf youkai were out and about, doing they're own tasks as ordered by Kouga. Kagome had approached what looked like a guard with Inuyasha, the wolf youkai bowing in respect.

"Sister! Wh-what can I do for you??"

"No need to bow Hakkaku. I'm here to speak with Kouga." She told him.

"Kouga huh? Well, he isn't here right now, but he's supposed to be back later tonight with Ginta. Why don't you wait in his den until he gets back? I'll escort you there." Hakkaku offered.

Kagome had nodded, "That would be nice." She held onto Inuyasha's hand as they were being led to a cave.

"Who's the kid?" Hakkaku asked out of curiosity. "He smells like you and—"

"I'll explain once Kouga arrives."

Hakkaku nodded, 'Weird, he smells like Kagome and Inuyasha.. No, could he be her pup?! Oh… Kouga will not be happy..' He thought as he led them quietly to the den. He had arrived at the cave and entered, leading her to the comfortable quarters that held a bed, animal bones strewn about, a small table, and a small fire pit.

"You can stay here for a bit. I'll make sure there's a guard outside the cave."

"You aren't staying?" Kagome asked as she sat down at the table.

"No, I have guard duty today. I'll see you around sister." Hakkaku waved before leaving.

Inuyasha crawled into her lap, and yawned. "Gome-chan?" He asked as he cuddled into her. "Why do they call you sister?"

Kagome smiled down at the hanyou, wrapping her arms around him, "It's silly." She giggled and ran her fingers through his silvery locks, "Kouga thinks that I'm his woman. But I don't have such feelings besides friendship with him." She replied. She rubbed one of his ears, listening to his content growls as he napped in her lap.

Food had been brought to them later on as the sun was setting. Kagome had separated herself from the hanyou, laying him in Kouga's bed before going to the fire pit. She had started a fire and began to roast the rabbit that was given to them as their dinner. 'They never do give utensils to cut the meat..' She thought as she turned the rabbit on the spit to avoid getting it burned.

Inuyasha had groaned, signalling that he was awakening from his nap. He stretched and sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Gome-chan? Do I smell food?"

"Yes you do Inuyasha." Kagome happily replied, lifting the rabbit away from the fire. "It should be done. The wolves were kind enough to at least leave two plates. She had set the rabbit on one plate, blowing on it. "One problem though..."

He had crawled out of bed and trudged over to her, sitting doggy style next to the woman. "What?"

"I have no way of cutting this." She sighed.

Inuyasha's ears perked. "Gome-chan, can I cut it with my claws?"

Kagome blinked, "I suppose you could Inuyasha. It is worth a try now isn't it?"

Inuyasha yipped happily before grabbing the plate and pulling it to him, he raised his small hands and clawed at the rabbit, successfully separating the meat into sections and de-boning it, adding to the bone piles in the den.

Kagome had thanked him and they had both eaten happily. Water was also brought in, enough for them to drink and clean their hands in afterwards.

"When is Kouga going to come?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, it's night time now. He's going to be here soon Inuyasha." They had both cleaned their hands and were now sitting comfortably in the wolf princes bed. It wasn't long before the woman could sense a strong demonic aura and he had finally appeared in a tornado of wind outside the cave.

Kouga entered his den, his nose catching the scent of Kagome instantly. He had run in and found his woman sitting in his bed. 'So, she has finally decided to be my mate eh?' "Kagome! I guess this means your going to take me up on that offer."

Kagome turned to him, Inuyasha having hidden behind her in fright. "Think again Kouga-kun, you know you're my friend and nothing more." She smiled warmly.

He sighed, "Alright, so what does my woman wan—" He narrowed his eyes, catching sight of golden orbs behind her and a second scent. "Wha-wha--? Who's-- He isn't your pup is he?! You can't be mated!"

Kagome whispered for Inuyasha to come out, and he did. He had clutched onto her and crawled into her lap.

Kouga's eyes widened, "H-he looks like… dog shit.."

Inuyasha's eyes watered.

Kagome growled, "Kouga-kun, mind your language. I don't need you frightening Inuyasha."

The wolf prince gasped, "You mated yourself to Inuyasha and had a pup named after him?!"

Kagome sighed, rubbing one of Inuyasha's ears to comfort him. "No, this is Inuyasha. He's under a spell Kouga-kun. Kikyo turned him into an infant, so now I'm protecting him until the spell is broken."

Kouga walked over to her and sat next to her, "You and me both know that Kikyo isn't strong enough to perform a spell as complicated as this."

She nodded, "I know. I suspect Tsubaki also took part in it." She replied. "No matter what though, I will protect him."

Kouga snorted, "Sounds like mutt face alright. Dog turd was so stupid to have actually fallen for the dark priestess."

"_Flea bag_." Inuyasha suddenly barked back, his eyes flickering with dark gold.

"What did you call me mutt?!" Kouga snarled back.

"_You heard me ya wimpy wolf_!" Inuyasha growled.

Kagome gasped, "Inuyasha, what's wrong with you?" She turned him so he could face her, and found that same glimpse in his eyes as before. 'What the--?' Then is had vanished, leaving a frightened little Inuyasha.

"Gome-chan?"

"You little brat!" Kouga snarled.

Inuyasha yelped and leapt out of Kagome's lap and hid behind her just as Kouga was going to reach for him. "G-Gome-chan!!"

Kagome glared at Kouga, and covered Inuyasha as best as she could, "Don't you lay a finger on him Kouga-kun. He is just a child and you will not harm him."

Kouga growled and back away silently fuming. "Fine! Just wait till he gets better.. damn dog.." He muttered.

Kagome heaved a sigh, "He isn't why I came here you know. There's another thing I came to tell you."

Kouga's pouts ceased for a moment as he tuned in, "Yeah?"

"A pack of your wolves came onto my grounds to hunt and harmed Inuyasha and I today." She replied coolly.

"They what--! Those damn idiots know better!" Kouga howled in anger.

The priestess nodded, "They were not your human wolves Kouga-kun but a pack that had trespassed today. I just wanted to warn you that if it happens again then I will be forced to—"

"To kick us outta here, yeah I know." Kouga grumbled, "Are you and the shrimp alright? You aren't seriously injured are you?" When she shook her head he nodded, "Alright, then I'm going to go and take care of this. There was only one group of wolves that were supposed to be out today.. So I think I know who your talking about."

Kagome smiled, "Thank you. If it helps any, I think Inuyasha and I might have hurt the alpha of the group. Just so you don't mistaken the wrong wolves."

"Thanks Kagome, I'll be back shortly. You guys stay here and I'll also deal with getting you the proper living space for the night, unless of course you want to stay with me all night." He grinned.

Kagome gave him a lop sided smile, "Our own room would be nice."

Kouga groaned playfully, "Damn, fine. But I'll have you know you just broke my huge heart in half." He told her as he headed for the mouth of the cave.

Kagome giggled and waved before he left. Inuyasha had meanwhile crawled back into her lap and sniffled. His saddened aura had caught her off guard and made her worry about the child. "Inuyasha? Are you alright?" She rubbed his arms soothingly and brushed his bangs back.

The hanyou twitched his silvery dog-ears and nodded, "I'm sorry." He whispered, his golden orbs filling with tears. "I didn't mean to say those words."

'_I sure as hell did!'_

Kagome kissed the hanyou's head softly, "I know."

Inuyasha rubbed his eyes, and blinked up at her, "Really? Gome-chan knows?" He blushed a bit when she smiled warmly, nodding.

"How about I tell you a little story, Inuyasha, about my past when I was little." She began.

.:.:.:. Flash Back .:.:.:.

_"Ow! Ow! Please stop! Please!" The girl whimpered, covering her head with her little hands. She crouched further into the dirt, tears leaking from her big brown orbs._

"_Or what? Ha, you stupid girl! You're no legendary priestess!" The boy sneered, throwing more stones at her head. The other boys circled her and laughed, throwing more pebbles._

_"Get away from her you weak ningen!" Snarled a larger boy whom had leapt in front of the crouched Kagome. He bared his fangs and let out another curling snarl, cracking his knuckles. He wore a dark cloak with the hood covering his face. Golden eyes peered momentarily out from beneath the hood of the cape, the boy taking in a mental count. 'Okay..' He had leapt up and pushed the three boys to the ground_

_"A-ack!" The three the boys cried as they landed on the ground roughly. Just as the rest were going to strike the cloaked boy, he had leapt up and pushed them all away as well._

"_Get away from here, unless you really want me to get serious!" Barked the cloaked boy. _

_The village boys had run away in fright, leaving only a tearing Kagome and a growling cloaked stranger. He had turned towards her, crouching before her, "Are you okay?"_

_Kagome sniffled and wiped away her tears, "Y-yes.. Thank you mister.." She smiled brightly. She stared at him, "You're a ha—"_

_"Kagome-chan! Get away from him!" Shouted a female voice. The girl had run towards the two and tackled the boy, her hands glowing pink._

_"Kikyo-chan!" Kagome cried, gasping as she heard her saviour howl in pain. "St-stop Kikyo-chan!" She yelled, pushing the girl away from her saviour._

_Kikyo gasped, and fell into the dirt with a thud. "Kagome! He's a half breed! He could hurt yo—"_

_Kagome huffed, "I know Kikyo-chan! But he saved me!" Kagome placed herself in front of the boy with her arms spread out, "I don't care if he is a hanyou! He's my friend and he saved me!"_

_The boy's eyes widened, 'She-she knows I'm a half demon?'_

_Kikyo glared at the boy, then stared back at Kagome, "Kagome-sama, let's go back to your home."_

_"Kikyo-chan! Don't call me that! I won't leave without—"_

_Kikyo stood and patted the dirt from her clothing, walking over to Kagome and glaring down at the boy, she bowed. "Thank you for saving Kagome-sama." She muttered before rising and walking away, "Let's go."_

_Kagome's eyes watered, "No! I'm going to go home when I want to." She said stubbornly, smiling to herself when Kikyo had finally left. She had turned and found her saviour still sitting in the dirt, simply gaping at her. "Um.."_

_The boy growled and leaped back quickly, landing on his feet smoothly, "You're a priestess—"_

_Kagome blushed, "B-but not like Kikyo-chan.. That's why.. she can be so mean and call me Kagome-sama." She stuck out her tongue, "I don't like that! She knows that too!"_

_The boy nodded, "Fine, I'm leaving."_

_"No!!" Kagome shouted, "Please stay! Um…" She blushed._

_The boy glanced up at her from the shadows of his hood, sighing_._ A clawed hand had pulled away from the cloak and tugged on the hood, revealing the face of Kagome's saviour. "I'm Inuyasha."_

_Kagome gasped, "Kawaii! I like your ears Inu-kun!" She walked over to him, "You can call me Kag-chan!"_

_Inuyasha blinked, "Gome-chan sounds better." He grinned, revealing his pearly white fangs._

_Kagome thought for a moment, "Hmmm, I like it! Can I pet your ears Inu-kun? Please?"_

_He blushed, "Why should I let you touch them?" He growled, suddenly getting defensive, "So you can tug on them?"_

_Kagome blinked cutely, "No Inu-kun, because they're kawaii! And look soft."_

_Inuyasha's face flushed with embarrassment, "Uh..um.."_

.:.:.:. End of Flashback .:.:.:.

Kagome sighed, "I was seven years old, he was nine in human years, and Kikyo was eight." She explained to the hanyou boy.

Inuyasha snuggled into her, "That's how you met me?" He asked, letting out a long yawn.

Kagome held him tightly, "Yes, you saved me."

Kouga had decided to then re-enter his den. He had spotted his two guests half asleep in his bed, talking in low voices, "Oi, Kagome."

Kagome turned her head towards him, smiling, "Kouga-kun, you're back."

The wolf grinned, leaping into his bed, "That's right. I found the pack that had gotten to your territory. Don't worry about them, I've straightened things out. They've been getting heavy so they're not allowed to go back out for a week or so." He informed her. At Kagome's nod, he proceeded, "Do you want me to show you to your quarters?"

"Is it the usual place?" She questioned. He had nodded so she merely shook her head, "I can get there on my own." She slowly stood, holding a sleeping Inuyasha to her lovingly, "I will see you in the morning Kouga-kun."

"Yeah, g'night Kagome" He had waved her goodbye until she was out of sight. Frowning, the wolf prince sat back down in his bed, 'Damn, I didn't want her to worry but…' He pulled a piece of paper from his fur, 'I found a bunch of these on those wolves when they were sleeping. I have a feeling Kikyo had something to do with my wolves acting weird..'

'She must really want that mutt dead, or she's looking for something in particular.'

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**A/N Hurray! Movin' along with the story! We've got flashbacks! Wooo! Now you all know how Kikyo knows Kagome. Plus big Inu made a small appearance! R&R if you guys want another chapter soon!**

**Mir: Sango-san, when do you think we will come into the story?**

**San: Umm… I truthfully don't know. I just hope I come in in time to kick Kikyo's ass…**

**Mir: Ha Ha… Those are some violent thoughts my lady.. –sneaks over to her-**

**San: Well they ought to be since--**

**rubb ruuuubbbbbb**

**Smack SMAKC KLONCK!**

**-Miroku flies away-**

**Kag: Whoa, that time he flew farther!**

**Inu: Not to mention faster…**

**Shi: I wonder where he's going to land.**

**San: It could be the north pole for all I care… -growls-**

**Kag: -shrugs- Probably Canada. I thinks that's as far as he would go before the sight of pretty girls stops him in mid-air.**

**Moi: How very interesting… Poor girls won't know what hit them.. R&R!**


	4. Enter the Kitsune

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Sorry for the wait! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 4. Enter a Kitsune**

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Morning had soon come and Kagome was finding herself thanking the wolf prince for his hospitality. After a small embrace, she was going to leave his side to return home until she felt a familiar feeling wash over her. The priestess's entire body tensed up, and Kouga knew instantly what she felt.

"I watch over him, you go." Kouga muttered.

Kagome turned briskly, "No, Kouga-kun I couldn't—"

"Just go Kagome, before I change my mind. I promise to keep an eye on him personally." Kouga told her sternly, "I'd never harm a kid, even if it is Inuyasha, got that?" He told her reassuringly.

Inuyasha blinked, "Gome-chan? What's going on?"

Kagome nodded, crouching to Inuyasha's level, "Stay with Kouga-kun, okay Inuyasha? Don't frustrate him and behave. I need to go for a moment."

Inuyasha's eyes watered, "B-but wh-why?"

Kagome smiled apologetically, "Kouga-kun will explain to you why I have to leave. I have to go now." Kagome replied before standing and running down the dirt path.

Inuyasha started to cry quietly before glancing up at Kouga in question, "W-why did she leave? K-Kouga?" He sniffled.

The wolf prince sighed, "Come on kid, I'll explain it to ya somewhere else." He had led the boy to a small clearing where flowers bloomed nicely and no other wolf member was within ear-shot.

"You know Kagome is the protector of this place, right?"

Inuyasha sat down in the flowers, looking up at the wolf until he too sat, "She is?"

"Yep, everything that sits inside this barrier she has to protect. Nothing impure is able to trespass too. But you see this barrier kid? It isn't created by her.. but by something greater. A combined power made this barrier and as a result, she is able to feel when someone is passing through it and when someone is trying to destroy it. It isn't a nice feeling either." Kouga explained.

Inuyasha nodded, "She knows when people come in? So she knew when I came in too!"

"Yeah, I can tell ya right now, that not only did someone come through it a couple of minutes ago, but someone else is trying to break through it. The way she looked said it all. Someone bad is waiting for her." He huffed.

Inuyasha gasped, "We have to help her Kouga!" He jumped up quickly.

"Hold up kid." Kouga snatched him by the back of his collar and sat the boy back down, "You'll only get in her way, besides she's the only one that can manipulate the barrier to her advantage. I can't even help her unless that person successfully gets through. Once the guy comes in, then I can kick his sorry hide outta here. But by the looks of things, the idiot isn't powerful enough to get through."

"Can't you get out of the barrier?"

"Nope." He grinned.

"Why not?"

"'cause I made a packed with the protector not to leave this barrier unless otherwise said so." Kouga replied, "When you make a packed like I did, it's almost like a ritualistic thing, I wouldn't be able to leave even if I wanted to, well not for a while anyways." He huffed, "But, I'm okay with it, and so is my pack of wolves. They don't mind it because we're protected from other idiot demons."

"If I got to be with Gome-chan forever I'd stay too." Inuyasha smiled.

"Ya like her kid?"

"Yes, Gome-chan is nice."

'I know she likes you a lot Inuyasha. She always did, which is something I could never compete against… She really did love you once… A long time ago..' He glanced up at the cloudless sky.

.:.:.:. With Kagome .:.:.:.

An arrow was shot through the barrier as soon as she had arrived, several other arrows forming and attacking the enemy. Kagome had run towards the small ball of fur she had spotted and touched it lightly. The thing jerked away, bright green eyes filled with fear stared up at her.

"A-ack!!"

Kagome pulled her hand away and shuddered as the enemy outside the barrier had struck it again after recovering, "Please hide little one. You'll be safe here." She reassured him before standing and readying another arrow.

The thunder demon howled in anger, "Damn this thing! What kind of barrier is this? You bitch! You made this didn't you?"

"Hiten, she is a fine looking woman. Can we keep this one?" Asked a rather grotesque demon that floated on a cloud next to the other.

"No Manten!" Hiten hissed back, "I want the Sacred Jewel, and this bitch is standing between me and the damn kitsune brat! No one will be spared where the Jewel is concerned." He raised his thunder pike above his head.

Kagome narrowed her eyes, "That's enough!" She pulled her bow string a bit further, "No one will harm this fox kit," Her arrow began to glow pink, "Not while he is under the protection of the Forest of Purity," She hissed, letting her arrow go.

Hiten laughed, "Taste my thunder, witch!" He howled, launching a blast of power at the barrier.

Her arrow had pierced through the barrier, multiplying itself in larger numbers before slicing through his attack like butter, purifying everything in its path, the youkai included. There were bursts of light from the barrage before it had died down, leaving a cloud of smoke and ashes in its wake.

Kagome huffed, glancing at her quiver that no longer held any arrows. 'Thank the gods I didn't need anymore..' She noticed the newcomer had hid in a nearby bush, quivering in fright. "Kitsune-chan? You can come out now. You don't need to be afraid." She called.

The quivering ceased for a moment, "Y-you're a priestess! You'll just try to purify me like you did those demons!"

Kagome sighed, "Well, as long as you have no injuries, I'll leave you. So long as you stay within this forest, you will be safe." She began to walk away, but stopped mid-step as the bushes rattled.

The copper haired boy had stepped out, and glanced up at her once more, "Aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what?"

"About.. The Jewel?"

Kagome turned her head towards him, "Should I?"

He glared, "You're a priestess! You should know about it! Aren't you going to try and take it?" He opened his kimono slightly, revealing a pink gem that hung around his neck.

Kagome shook her head, "No."

"But.. Why?"

"Honestly? I'm sorry to tell you that that gem is not the Shikon." She replied.

The boy froze, "Yes it is! It has to be! M-my father protected this with his life!"

Kagome's eyes saddened, "Your father.. Lived in the north, didn't he?" At the boy's nod she huffed, "My family had left him in charge of a fake jewel that let off a similar aura to the real one."

His eyes watered, "W-why? Wh-why would you do that! He died! M-my pa-papa died for a fake jewel?!"

Kagome turned fully to him, "He offered and knew the risk he was taking. It was to help insure that the real one would be kept safe. So you see, his death wasn't in vain. I'm sorry for your loss, Kitsune-chan."

He quivered, and looked at her with his teary eyes, "D-did he really? Did my papa help?"

"Yes." Kagome smiled, "Please don't cry."

He sniffled and ran to her, surprising her when he had leapt into her arms, "C-can I st-stay with you? Pl-please?"

Kagome nodded, "Of course! My name is Kagome." She smiled, standing and walking with him in her arms.

"I'm Shippou." He replied meekly.

Kagome nodded, "Well Shippou-chan, I'm going to take you with me to pick someone else up. I had to leave him in the care of my friend to come and help you. So I hope he's alright."

The fox kit nodded his head, understanding her. She had risked her life to save him, had purified his father's murderers.. Shippou now felt like he owed her something, or at the very least saw her as a form of protector. He could also feel a sense of security with her and a calm aura emitting from her. Almost like the aura his mother used to have. It felt good to be in her arms.. With that thought in mind, Shippou had fallen asleep. Kagome had arrived back at the ookami den by mid afternoon with the kitsune still asleep.

Inuyasha had found Kagome the moment she had arrived and had hugged her leg. He was also quick to notice the fox kit that she had brought along with her, his nose twitching as the new scent entered his nostrils. "Fox? He smells weird.." He mumbled.

Kouga had followed Inuyasha to Kagome and had also shrivelled his nose a bit, "Nah, that's not their real scent. His scent is covered in dirt and ashes.. Seems to me like he went to great ways to cover his smell up to hide from someone. You better give him a bath soon Kagome." Kouga told her, "Before Inuyasha's nose falls off from the stench.."

Inuyasha squeaked, "My nose will fall off?"

Kouga nodded, "Yep, it'll fall off since this smell is so horrible!"

Inuyasha's eyes widened, "Gome-chan!! I don't want my nose to fall off!"

Kagome chuckled, patting Inuyasha's head, "Kouga-kun, don't fill Inuyasha's head with such things…"

Kouga scowled, "You just love to ruin my fun Kagome."

She rolled her eyes and said her goodbyes to the wolf prince, taking Inuyasha's hand while securely holding Shippou in her other hand. The walk home was quiet enough, Inuyasha had leapt ahead a few times to chase some of the insects while Kagome merely walked at her own pace. Her leg had mostly healed up by then due to her powers but the rest of her body was exhausted from the battle to save Shippou. Though, she would never show it, not in front of Inuyasha anyways. She didn't want him to worry about her.

"Gome-chan, how much farther?" Inuyasha shouted from ahead, tilting his head to the side cutely, one of his ears flickering.

Kagome inwardly smiled at how adorable he looked, "Not very much Inuyasha." She replied, noting that his ears flickered at the sound of her voice. The bundle in the girl's arms suddenly started to move, and soon enough, tired green eyes were peering up at her in question.

"H-huh? Wh-wh-what the! Wh-who—" Shippou blinked a few times, his memory beginning to come back. He had been struggling to get out of her arms but she had refused to let him go until he had stopped and glanced up at her, "Kagome?"

Said girl nodded, "That's right." She said with a warm smile as she continued to walk. "You still look very tired Shippou-chan, why don't you sleep until we get back. Okay?"

Inuyasha still stood ahead of them, his dog appendages flickering at the sounds of the boys voice, 'He's awake? .. Gome-chan thinks he needs sleep still.. I wish I could be in Gome-chan's arms. I'm tired too..' He thought sadly, but then snorted, 'I won't be sad! Gome-chan can't see me sad!'

They had arrived shortly at the small home, the place looking exactly as Kagome had left it. She sighed in content, feeling relaxed already. She had placed Shippou down in her room, wrapping him in a small blanket before leaving to begin dinner.

Inuyasha had flopped down next to the fire pit, his golden eyes trained on Kagome as she moved around the hut. "Is the kitsune still asleep?"

Kagome nodded her head as she placed a pot of water above the fire pit. She had lit the pit and waited for the flames to begin rising. "Yes, he went through a lot today. Why?"

He shook his head, "Mmm, I'm just bored.. Gome-chan I want to do something.."

Kagome placed her finger on her chin, "Well, you can help me with dinner. I thought that tonight we could have fried fish and some cooked rice. I don't want to leave the hut while Shippou-chan is sleeping. Would you mind catching some fish?"

His eyes lit up, "I can do that! I like catching fish Gome-chan!"

Kagome smiled, "There's a river not far from here I'm sure you'll find it with your nose and hearing."

He nodded his head, "I always hear it! I'll be back soon Gome-chan!"

Soon enough, the hanyou had returned with five very large fish. Shippou had woken up and been watching Kagome prepare the rice just as Inuyasha had come back. The kitsune's emerald eyes had glanced over at Inuyasha, his nose twitching slightly.

"A half breed? What is a half breed doing here?" Shippou question innocently.

Kagome paused for a moment after placing the first fish on a spit over the fire. "Shippou-chan! Don't refer to Inuyasha that way."

Inuyasha's ears had fallen, "Gome-chan? What does he mean?" He tugged on her sleeve, "Wh-what's a—a half breed?"

Shippou snorted, "He doesn't even know what he is!"

Kagome finished placing the fish over the fire, then placed her hands on her hips, "Shippou-chan, respect Inuyasha! Use his name and be nice to him or I will be forced to send you to someone else to be cared for, am I understood?"

Shippou gasped, and nodded his head, sending small glares at Inuyasha.

The small hanyou boy hid behind Kagome timidly and tugged on her sleeve, "Gome-chan.. Why won't you tell me?"

Kagome beckoned him to come out from behind her and had him sit on her lap. She hugged him tightly and brought her mouth down next to his ear, whispering, "Don't let anyone call you that. I promise I won't let anyone hurt you Inuyasha." Her eyes had watered up and tears had dropped onto his head.

Inuyasha's eyes had saddened, 'Gome-chan, why are you crying?'

_'She's crying for us kid.. She knows what our life is like…'_

Inuyasha had jerked for a moment, hearing the voice. He shook his head, "Gome-chan, please don't cry. It's okay! I'll grow up to be big and strong! No one can hurt me then!"

Kagome nodded her head and let him go, wiping away her tears. "That's right." She agreed and had returned to cooking their dinner.

That night, long after the children had retired for bed, Kagome sat in front of the small fire, staring at it in depth.

.:.:.:. Flash Back .:.:.:.

_"Stay away from him Kagome-sama. You are no longer permitted to be near that filth again." Kikyo spat._

_Kagome glared at Kikyo, "He's my friend! He isn't what you think he is! As long as I am here, he will be safe! Kikyo-chan will not hurt him!"_

_Kikyo rolled her eyes, "Kagome-sama—"_

_"Stop calling me that! Kikyo-chan will go to sleep now!" Kagome hissed, lying back down in her bed._

_Kikyo bit her lip and mentally yelled back at the foolish little girl before lying back in her small bed._

_'I promise I won't let anyone hurt you Inuyasha…' Kagome thought before slipping into a deep sleep._

.:.:.:. End of Flash Back .:.:.:.

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**A/N Awww, little Inu is getting picked on… I smell an age change soon and a beating that comes with it.. beware Shippou.. Inu doesn't have that necklace…. R&R!!**

**Mir: Hmmmm…. Where have I landed? –glances around- -notices sign- Canada?! Aiiiie! She really did throw me far this time!!**

**Girl 1: -walks by Miroku-**

**Mir: Ooooooh.. Miss! Miss come back!**

**Girl 2: -walks by monk-**

**Mir: Another one!! I must be in heaven!! If I'm sleeping, no one pinch me! –goes after girls and gropes-**

**SLAP!**

**Mir: -sits up- Ngh? A dream? –sigh- Figures..**

**San: Pervert! Get up, it's time for us to go shard hunting.**

**Mir: I'm coming I'm coming.. –walks out depressed-**

**Inu: -whispers to Kagome- What's eatin' him?**

**Kag: -shrugs- We probably woke him up while he was having a good dream.**

**Inu: Pervert…**

**San: HENTAIIIIIIIIIII!!**

**SMACK! SMACK!**

**Kag: Looks like he's back to normal now, he's already gone after Sango's butt.**

**Inu: That idiot.. R&R**


	5. Disappearance

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N THANKS FOR YOUR REVIEWS!!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 5. Disappearance**

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Shippou yawned loudly the next morning and rubbed his eyes. Today he planned to get rid of the hanyou for good. All he needed to do was insult him one more time with all he had by using his fox magic to transform into Kagome. Although, he would have to perform this trick very carefully since he hasn't yet mastered a way to hide his foxtail during such a unique transformation.

"Shippou-kun," Kagome called.

The fox kit scrambled out of his bed and ran out the room towards the door of the hut. Kagome and Inuyasha were already there waiting patiently for the kitsune to arrive.

"We're going to the hot springs to get cleaned up, would you like to join us?" She asked kindly.

"Would I ever!" Shippou yipped, hanging up his plans for now.

They had bathed together that morning, Inuyasha having waited for Kagome to be fully submerged into the water before jumping in himself. Unlike Shippou who had miraculously thrown off his clothes in record time and jumped in quickly, the hanyou preferred to let the girl in first. At the back of his mind he could feel that little voice pestering him to not look at her, that it was indecent..

'I bet he secretly wants to see Gome-chan with no clothes.' Inuyasha's face scrunched up, 'But why would he want that? Eww..' He shook his head.

Kagome looked over at him, he seemed to be deep in thought for a child his age and wasn't moving much the in the water. Meanwhile Shippou was happily swimming in the water and enjoying himself immensely. 'I wonder what he's thinking about?'

Soon enough, they were all cleaned up and clothed, walking back towards the hut. Shippou had been contemplating how to perform his plan while Inuyasha chased a butterfly up ahead. Kagome had left the boys at the hut to play, telling them that she had to fetch some more vegetables for later on that evening.

Shippou had decided that the moment of truth had finally arrived. He had told Inuyasha of a game called 'Hide-n-Seek' and had dubbed Inuyasha the one who was 'It'. While the Kitsune hid a little further away from the counting hanyou, he snickered. It would take some time before Kagome came back, so he would play a few rounds before performing his trick, just to make sure it was believable.

"Twenty! Ready or not, here I come Shippou-chan!" Inuyasha shouted, using his nose to sniff out the boy. He leapt up in a tree and glanced around, "Hmm, oh!" He spotted a fox tail sticking out from behind a tree. 'Over there!' He thought with glee, catching the fox kit and ending the first round.

Shippou grinned to himself, three more rounds had passed by quickly and he was prepared for his trick. He hid his laugh well and placed a leaf on his red hair, "Fox magic!" He whispered, transforming into an exact replica of Kagome, safe for the foxtail. 'Okay!'

He had confidently walked out from the bushes and easily found Inuyasha still counting by the hut. "Inuyasha? What are you doing?" He asked.

Inuyasha's ear twitched and he turned, "Gome-chan!" He sniffed, "You smell.. Different."

Kagome shrugged, "It's nothing for you to worry yourself over, your nose may be acting up considering you're merely a half breed and all." He practically sneered.

Inuyasha's eyes widened, "Y-you said that it was bad to say that! W-why did you call me a half breed G-Gome-chan?"

"I see now you're having problems understanding me. Humph, even Shippou-chan would understand exactly what I'm saying." He grinned darkly, "You're nothing but a dirty blooded hanyou. Your lucky I kept you alive this long."

Inuyasha sniffled, "St-stop it Gome-chan—"

"Or what? What is the half breed mongrel going to do to me? Scratch me with your little claws?"

"St-stop! Please.." He sniffled, tears streaming out of his eyes.

"Get out of my sight, Inuyasha. I don't want to ever see your half breed face again." Kagome/Shippou snarled, mentally yipping in victory as the young boy fled from the clearing with tears spilling everywhere. 'Ha, stupid thing is gone now! … But why do I feel so bad..'

Kagome had returned later that afternoon with the necessary vegetables and a few bundles of herbs and spices too. She had found Shippou waiting patiently in the hut and had smiled warmly before setting down her things, "I'm sorry for taking so long. I had to stop by Jinenji's to pick up some healing herbs. I also got some spices for dinner."

"That's good." Shippou replied. The entire time he was waiting for Kagome to return, he was sitting in his corner thinking. Instead of doing a victory dance like he had planned, he was feeling strange waves in his heart and his gut. 'Guilt.' His conscience told him. It was guilt he was feeling, and it just wouldn't go away.

"Where's Inuyasha?"

A nice wave had struck him again, the dark aura practically pulsing from his little form. "He went out for a walk." He lied, feeling even worse. 'I shouldn't be feeling like this! That mutt deserved this! He's a half breed and needs to know his place.' He mentally argued.

Kagome frowned, "Why is it, that I don't believe you? I'm feeling a very dark aura in this room and it certainly isn't coming from me." She placed her hands on her hips, lifting a brow, "Shippou, where is he?"

Shippou growled, "Why should I say anything?! He's just a stupid half breed! He doesn't need to be here! He should have never been alive in the first place! He's—"

Kagome glared, "That's enough! Inuyasha has every bit of right to be in this world as you do. He is a human being much like the rest of us and has feelings just like you and I do. He is a child that needs my care until his spell breaks and he is set free. Until then, he is in a great danger and people who think just like you may take his life from him." She huffed, "And I won't let that happen."

She went to the door, "So I'm asking again, where is he Shippou?"

The fox kit stared down at his paws, "I'm sorry.. I'm really sorry! I-I used my fox magic and transformed into you and said really bad th-things t-to him! An-and he ran a-away! I w-was being really m-mean Ka-Kagome! I'm sorry!" He bawled.

Kagome sighed, "Please tell me what direction he went in."

"You can't g-go! Wh-what if you run into trouble?! You haven't eaten anything! You're body will be too exhausted to function properly—"

"Shippou—"

"Pl-please!!" He begged, tears overflowing from his emerald eyes, "I know I made him leave, but the last thing I want is for you to not be able to bring him back because you got hurt from not having enough strength to defend yourself—"

"Okay." Kagome held her hands up in defeat, "I will have some food before leaving, Shippou-chan. Please stop crying."

"O-okay."

She had merely made rice balls for their supper, wanting to leave as soon as possible to search for the hanyou child. Kagome felt her heart beat quicken at the thought of the boy, 'I hope he's alright.' The last thing she wanted was to find him dead somewhere.

The miko girl had taken her bow and quiver filled with new arrows and placed them on her shoulder. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Don't stay up too late, alright Shippou-chan?"

The fox kit nodded, "I promise I won't."

The priestess had smiled lightly before taking her leave. She had trudged through the darkening forest carefully, trying to find any trails that might lead her to the small boy. She had encountered some difficulties such as wild animals and not to mention the dying light. The sun was starting to set on the forest, which worried the miko. The woods were dangerous at night due to the lack of light.

'Has he found shelter? Or maybe made some?' Kagome thought, listening for any other sounds besides the crunching of leaves and dirt under her sandals. She pushed back a branch and continued her trek. The miko could hear the sound of water that wasn't too far off from her. It was most likely the same river Inuyasha had found fish in beforehand.

'He may actually be here.' Kagome thought just as the final speck of light had vanished, leaving her in darkness, barely guided by moonlight.

She used her hands to grasp anything around her to help with guiding, her fingers running along the bark of various trees. She had stopped suddenly when she felt odd grooves carved into the body of a tree. Upon closer examination, she had concluded that they were claw mark. Either she was trespassing into bear territory, or someone else had caused this. 'Inuyasha?'

She continued again, and practically leaped with joy when she found the river. She had run out to it and now stood in a small clearing. She could sense that a large portion of this river was within her barrier and decided that it was safe for her to take a small break here. 'It's also an ideal place to find Inuyasha', she mentally concluded.

Though she should be feeling very content and safe, she wasn't. Her muscles were tensed and the miko could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Something or someone was watching her.

"Inuyasha?" She decided to call out. "Are you here?" 'He just has to be.. I feel like his aura was here or may still be here..' She sat down in front of the river. 'Maybe I should just wait it out..'

A few hours had gone by that night with so far no sign of Inuyasha. Kagome was at this point very worried for the boy, but remained seated. There wasn't anything she could do anyways because of lack of light. She was better off just sitting and waiting for day to come.

The miko suddenly froze up, "This feeling." She mumbled, "Has someone passed through the barrier? No," She glanced up at the sky, "Someone was trying to get in, but failed…"

-X-

On the outside of the barrier stood a white miko and a dark miko. The two stared in disgust at the remains of what once used to be a youkai.

"Tsubaki-san, you said that this sutra would allow any being to pass through without a problem." Kikyo hissed, "So why has this happened to the demon?"

Tsubaki huffed, "Seems like little Kagome-chan is much stronger than we thought. Her barrier can't be manipulated so easily. For me to do any true damage, I'd need a sample of her blood. However we all know that such a thing is impossible. Which means we need more power."

"And where do you suggest we find this power?"

"There is one that is known for his strong dark youkai abilities residing in the south. His name is Naraku. I've heard of his curses and his wild creations. I'm sure that he can be of help to our cause.." Tsubaki grinned maliciously.

"Interesting…"

"Hai, he has much power Kikyo-san. Yet we must be careful, I've heard that he is also known for deceiving his allies."

Kikyo smirked, "We set out for him in the morning.. Come Tsubaki-san, we need our rest."

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**A/N The plot thickens…. Lol. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Remember to review! (Or I won't like you anymore.. ha ha j/k).**

**Sess: Mou, I'm not in this story yet, why aren't I in it yet?!**

**Mir: Patience my friend.. patience..**

**Sess: -storms off-**

**Inu: What's with Fluffy?**

**Mir: The usual pouting and such.. Have you seen Sango anywhere?**

**Inu: Uhh.. Last I checked she was going on a date with some human.**

**Mir: ahh.. I see—What?! Inuyasha, come we must investigate!**

**Inu: Monk I don't think we shou— -gets pulled away-**

**Moi: hmmm to be continued… R&R!**


	6. A Harmless Soul

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Whoa, it's been a while ne? On with the chapter!!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 6. A Harmless Soul**

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Light swarmed the emerald green forest in one swoop causing all animal life forms to awaken from their slumber. The small river also glowed from the natural light, attracting many small animals to come and drink from it. The young miko was also stirring from her sleep, not remembering exactly how it is she came to fall asleep, and up in a tree no doubt.

She squeaked in alarm, gripping onto the branch she was on with dear life, and scooting back until her back was flush against the tree trunk. "Wh-wha—H-how?" She mumbled in disbelief, 'I remember being next to the river, so how did I end up here?' She thought.

"Oi, you've got some nerve for following me, girl." Piped an angry voice above her.

Kagome's head shot up and she gasped, "In-Inuyasha! You're… You're…"

The nine year old boy raised a brow and crouched down on his branch, growling, "I'm age nine now in human years, and I want you out of my territory!"

Kagome shook her head, "It seems like you need some new clothes. Your shirt is gone and your pants are nearly up to your knees." She observed, "You could also use a bath, and you claws must be filthy." The girl continued.

"Oi, aren't ya listening to me ya damn idiot?!"

Kagome placed her hands on her hips, "Watch your language mister!" She scolded, "I don't know where you picked up those words from, but you are not aloud to use them at your age."

The hanyou boy was taken back by her attitude, but then shot back, "This is my territory, I can say and do whatever I want, and since your trespassing I have every right to kill you too ya know!" He sneered. "I don't need some priestess like you to look after me!"

"This isn't your territory Inuyasha, and please don't try to claim it. That's the last thing you want to do. Now lets go back to the hut now, okay? Shippou-chan has something to say to you." Kagome told him

Inuyasha chuckled darkly, "Why should I go back? So you can purify the life outta me? I ain't buying it. I'm not the stupid and weak half breed you think I am."

"You're right, you aren't any of those things." She agreed, shocking the hanyou slightly, "The woman that told you those things wasn't me." She continued, "Shippou-chan was being very selfish, and well, he can tell you the rest of the story."

"Heh, I don't believe it stupid." He leaped off his branch and landed softly on the ground bellow. "I'm going to get me some food."

The girl gasped, 'H-how am I supposed to get out of here? There's no way I can climb down this! And why is it I can't find my bow or arrows?' She thought. The only thing she could do was climb down the tree and hope that she wouldn't trip and fall to her death. She was up pretty high leading her to believe that she was put there by a certain half demon. Weather it was for her safety or to harm her she does not know.

Slowly and steadily, she made her way down the various branches that seemed to be getting larger as she reached the base of the tree. She had made it safely to the ground, to the hanyou's disappointment, and had begun to search for him. She could sense that he had taken to the trees once more and decided against trying to climb them.

"Inuyasha, you have to believe me when I say that I wasn't the one that deceived you. I even have proof, but I guess you're too much like the old blockhead to even listen to me." She announced loudly.

_'Who is she callin' a blockhead?! That damn wench!'_

'I agree, but her scent isn't lying. She's telling the truth.' Inuyasha thought, leaping out from his hiding place only to land softly and soundlessly behind her.

"Keh, it better be solid proof, Gome-chan." Inuyasha grudgingly said, crossing his arms over his bare chest.

Kagome turned and smiled brightly, " Sort of.. I want you to meet someone that I've known for a very long time!" The miko girl motioned for the boy to follow her. "He actually lives just a little further down river from here."

The boy snorted, "I ain't going to meet anyone. For all I know this could be some kind of trap!"

"I never said anything about you being directly behind me! You can follow me in whatever fashion you want." She began to walk, biting her lip as her stomach growled, 'I can last without food for longer than this!' She mentally claimed, leading the way to their destination, 'I've endured much more pain than this before.'

"Feh," The shirtless boy leapt into a tree and slowly followed the miko. 'She has to be up to something, she is a miko after all.'

The miko girl had successfully brought Inuyasha to her friend's home and she had waved to him happily. She knew he would be awake since he cared far too much for his herbs to be suffocated by pesky weeds. He was, as expected, in his large gardens tending to his plants. She had called out to him and run up to the man joyfully, forgetting her hunger.

"Jinenji-kun!"

"Ka-Kagome-san!" He blushed, "B-but you just visited me yesterday! Were those herbs not enough?" He scratched his head in thought.

Kagome shook her head, "No, I have good news! You know the hanyou boy I took in?" At his nod she continued, "Well, I have him with me!"

Jinenji blinked, "I don't see him Kagome-san."

The miko turned briskly, "Inuyasha! Inu—yasha! Inuyas—"

"Quit shoutin' my name miko!" Inuyasha barked, leaping out of his tree. He had grumpily leapt out and crossed his arms over his chest, baring his teeth at her in a growl. "Keh!"

Kagome huffed, "I see, this is the age that you begin to have your attitude problem.. How wonderful.." She mumbled half heartedly, coughing, "Ahem, anyways! Inuyasha-chan, this is Jinenji-kun! He's a hanyou just like you!"

Inuyasha glared at the shy hanyou, looking at him from top to bottom, "He's a hanyou?" He sniffed, his scent confirming the fact. 'N-no way! He's a full grown hanyou and is friends with a priestess?!'

"Ni-nice to meet you, Inuyasha-san." Jinenji bowed, "I don't see other hanyou's very often, I'm glad that I'm no longer the only hanyou within Kagome-san's protection."

Inuyasha snorted, "If you think I'm going to believe you, then you're wrong! This is a scam miko! You're trying to lure me into a false sense of security to destroy me! Well I won't fall for it—"

"Gomen Jinenji-kun, Inuyasha was tricked by a kitsune and thinks ill of me." Kagome sighed, "You wouldn't happen to have any clothing to spear, would you?"

Jinenji eyed Inuyasha, ignoring his comments and barking, "Gomen Kagome-san, I don't have clothing that will fit him, but I do have a cloak." He offered, "He can use that while I prepare some proper clothing for him."

Kagome smiled, "Would you really do that Jinenji-kun? If you do that, then I'll take care of your garden while you work." She said, "It wouldn't be fair for you if you didn't receive anything in return."

Jinenji turned crimson, "Y-you don't have to do that, Kagome-san…"

"It's alright, I can—" Kagome's mouth ceased moving for a moment as a sound emerged from her stomach causing her cheeks to flush, "Ano.. " She mumbled.

"Kagome-san! Did you not have breakfast? I have some rice, please let me prepare you something to eat." Jinenji offered, having already retreated into his large hut.

Kagome laughed nervously and sweat dropped, "I-I-It's fine Jinenji-kun, you don't have to go through this trouble for me." She said to thin air, her shoulders drooping in defeat, 'He always treats me just like a princess. I remember when he started to call me Kagome-hime, then Kagome-sama.. Until I convinced him to simply call me Kagome-san or Kagome-kun.' She thought.

"Why did you bring me here," Growled a small voice.

Kagome's head shot up, "Hn?" She turned quickly, "Isn't it obvious?" She said, "I did it to prove to you that I do not hate half demons. I would never try to harm you Inuyasha, that is the point of our trip."

Inuyasha turned away from her stubbornly, "Feh!" He blushed, "Y-you're just a stupid miko! I still don't trust you!"

Kagome growled and placed her hands on her hips, feeling slightly annoyed, "Why yo—"  
_  
"Inuyasha-sama!"_

**SMACK!**

Kagome cocked her head to the side and blinked, "N-nani…?"

Inuyasha examined the small insect in his palm, sniffing it carefully, "Myoga-jiji?" He muttered.

Said flea leaped up from the boy's palm in excitement, "Myou… I finally found you Inuyasha-sama!! I heard of the curse placed on you!! There must be a way to reverse it! Oh Inuyasha-sama you shouldn't have left! … Your farther would be so angry with me.. Myou…" He bawled, tears pouring out of his eyes like a flowing river.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, "Knowing you, you probably just happened to have been away when this curse was placed on me.."

Myouga froze, "I-I h-had to go s-s-see Sesshoumaru-sama—"

Inuyasha growled angrily and flattened the flea, "You liar, Myoga-jiji.."

Kagome approached the two, "Inuyasha, you should be nicer to Myoga-jiji—"

"Thank you Kagome-sama—"

"—even if he is the biggest coward you'll ever come to know." She finished.

Myoga sniffled, "I feel very lonely at the moment.. Inuyasha-sama I traveled all this way to tell you how to break this spell and all you do is squish me… Myou.."

Inuyasha gapped, "You know how to break my spell?!"

Myoga boasted, "Of course!"

Kagome also gaped, "How jiji?"

"You.." He began, "Stay under Kagome-sama's care!" He piped.

They both sweat dropped, eyeing the old flea venomously. Inuyasha had taken this chance to finally take out his anger on the insect. So he threw him as far as he possibly could, smirking to himself when all he saw was a star in the sky, and the flea was gone.

"Serves him right." He muttered.

"We probably won't be seeing him for a while." Kagome added.

"Your breakfast is ready Kagome-san." Jinenji called from within his hut.

The miko's eye's lit up, "Thank you!"

Inuyasha just crossed his arms and followed the miko into the hut.

-X-

"Are all the necessary travelling aids prepared?"

"Hai, all that we need has been put into these bags." Tsubaki replied, revealing two bulky bags, "We each carry one."

Kikyo snorted, "In that case, I choose the lightest bag."

Tsubaki grumbled, "Very well. We will be traveling by foot and should arrive in a bare minimum of twelve days."

"Twelve days you say?" 'If only we had available horses in this village..' Kikyo eyed the dark priestess.

"Hai."

"Then we must make haste, Tsubaki-san." Kikyo concluded.

"Hai."

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**A/N Ho hum, was this an okay chapter? Truthfully, I felt the need to release a chapter.. So my greatest apologies if it isn't quite as good as my previous ones. The next chapter will have an incredible amount of beating in it since Inu encounters Shippou-chan and there's no necklace of subjugation.. Well R&R!**

**Mir: -whips out binoculars- Sango-san.. its true, you are with another human male..**

**Inu: -yawns- Okay, can we go yet? They're just eating ice cream…**

**Mir: How would you feel if Kagome were gone on a date with another male.**

**Inu: -cracks knuckles- He'd be a dead man..**

**Mir: Precisely which is why I am here. We are going to ruin this date if it kills me.**

**Inu: What's the plan?**

**Mir: … I don't know yet.. But it'll come! I swear it will!**

**Inu: -sigh- Baka..**

**Moi: Whoa, obsessive much? Sango's gunna be pissed.. ha ha, R&R!**


	7. Memories of the Past

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Man, it's been sooooooooooooooooo long since I updated… Heh enjoy the chapter!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 7. Memories of the past**

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Both Kagome and a pouting Inuyasha were soon back on their way home sometime in the late afternoon. The hanyou boy was clad in a red haorie and red hakama outfit, though not woven of the fur of the fire rat they were still clothes. Jinenji had also been kind enough to give the boy his black cloak since it was beyond too small for him. Of course Inuyasha was happy for the gift, but was too stubborn to admit it until Kagome had practically forced it out of him.

"Feh, I still don't think I should go back with you. You're nothin' but a mean old hag.."

Kagome's eye twitched slightly but she held in her anger, "Watch your tongue Inuyasha." 'Why couldn't he stay the same? Why did he have to change? He was so adorable and sweet, and now he's as rude as when I first met him all those years ago..'

.:.:. Flash Back .:.:.

_"Look! Isn't that butterfly pretty Inu-kun?" Kagome giggled, pointing at the colourful insect resting on an orange flower. _

_"Feh, it ain't anything special. I've seen lots of those." Inuyasha huffed.  
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_"Really? It's my first time seeing one like this!" She replied, moving slowly towards it._

_"Idiot, if you try to catch it you're gunna kill it. Just leave it alone." He growled, crossing his arms. He leaned further against the tree, enjoying the provided shade, his eyes closed but his ears twitching at every sound._

_Kagome carefully placed her fingertip on the flower, scooping up the insect, "Look! It's on my finger Inu-kun! Look! Look!"_

_One of his eye's opened and he stared at her finger boredly before closing his eye again. "Uh huh, great job Gome-chan."_

_"Mou, you aren't looking…" She mumbled, the butterfly now deciding to fly away. "Bye bye mister butterfly!" She waved._

_"You dummy, it could be a girl ya know."_

_Kagome blinked, her eyes watering, "D-dummy?"_

_Inuyasha's eye's shot open at the scent of salt and water. "D-don't cry stupid!" He sat up from his spot in a bit of a panic._

_"S-stupid?" She sniffled._

_"Baka, baka, baka!" He growled, 'If someone catches her crying like this, they'll really get angry with me!'_

_"B-baka?" She repeated, catching his full attention now, "I'm no dummy, or stupid, or a baka! Who are you calling a baka you baka!" Kagome suddenly shot back, her anger surprising the hanyou._

_He was taken back by this, but grinned weakly before shooting back, "Obviously you, but I guess since I called you a baka, and you called me a baka, then that makes the two of us bakas, baka."_

_Kagome blinked, cocking her head to the side. She finally let out a giggle, "Both of us are idiots?"_

_"Yep."_

_She giggled more, "You're funny Inu-kun!"_

_"Keh."_

_She then suddenly stopped giggling, her eyes scanning the area quickly, "I-Inu-kun—!" She stuttered as the wind picked up around them, the element sending cold chills down the girls back. "I—I-I—!"_

_He leapt over to her quickly and grabbed her, pulling her up into his arms, "I know, I can smell him. There's a demon near by.." 'I have to get her outta here, she just isn't ready to fight yet and I can't juggle protecting and fighting at the same time.'_

_Dark clouds were slowly coming their way giving the hanyou a very clear sign to leave this field and return to the safety of the village. "Time to go." He announced, leaping away with a semi-terrified girl in his arms._

.:.:. End of Flash Back .:.:.

"Oooooooooooooooooooooooi!" Inuyasha shouted for a second time, finally catching Kagome's full attention, "We've been standing here for quite some time dummy. Are we gunna move anytime soon? 'Cause I could get there faster by myself than with a slow ningen like you." He grumbled out.

Kagome blinked and then growled in an inhuman way, glaring at the small boy and finding herself mentally asking why she went to the trouble of bringing him back. "Inuyasha.." She hissed, sending icy cold chills down the child's back.

The hanyou had been frozen in place, his ears not even moving an inch, 'Shit, oh shit, oh shit…'

_'You're in trouble now kid. Way to piss off a fuckin' miko.. Dumbass..'_

'Shut up! You weren't any help either! You.. You put these words in my head and made me like this!' The little hanyou mentally fought back, cringing as he heard Kagome turn and step closer to him.

Suddenly both their heads had shot towards the side, the wind picking up quite a bit. This feeling that swept over the two, was far too familiar, even for the small hanyou. Kagome on the other hand, knew exactly what it was, or rather, who it was.

'It's… But why?'

.:.:. Flash .:.:.

_She then suddenly stopped giggling, her eyes scanning the area quickly, "I-Inu-kun—!" She stuttered as the wind picked up around them, the element sending cold chills down the girls back. "I—I-I—!"_

_He leapt over to her quickly and grabbed her, pulling her up into his arms, "I know. I can smell him. There's a demon near by.." 'I have to get her outta here, she just isn't ready to fight yet and I can't juggle protecting and fighting at the same time.'_

_Dark clouds were slowly coming their way giving the hanyou a very clear sign to leave this field and return to the safety of the village. "Time to go." He announced, leaping away with a semi-terrified girl in his arms._

.:.:. Flash .:.:.

"Inuyasha, you know the way back, hurry and go." Kagome swiftly ordered, beginning to walk towards the direction of the dark aura.

Inuyasha bit his lip, then began to follow, "No."

"Inuyasha this is no time for your silly attitude. Go back now, you need to stay away." Kagome nearly shouted.

"What are you going to do? You don't have a bow or arrows—"

"And who's fault might that be I wonder?"

"—So you need my help!"

"You're too young and he's too powerful! If he knows what happened to you then we might be in serious danger and I don't need you to be spotted by him. You must hide Inuyasha." Kagome replied fiercely, stopping dead in her tracks.

The boy stopped as well, "B-but—"

She slightly turned her head to him, giving him a lop sided smile "Go, Inuyasha. I'll be fine."

The golden-eyed boy hesitantly nodded his head, and then bowed it, shading his eyes. "Just.. Just don't get hurt!!" He shouted, leaping away.

Kagome nodded to herself before breaking into a run for the outskirts of the barrier. Her powers are stronger now than what they were several years ago, but the question is, are they strong enough to withstand the almighty Lord of the West? The barrier surrounding this forest has never once failed her. Especially since she has a trump card on her side that carries extreme powers that also already boost her own by a small portion.

'Is he here for the same reasons as he was then? Or does he truly believe that hanyou's are still as worthless as dirt..' She thought to herself. 'I suppose I'll find out soon enough.'

.:.:. Outside the Barrier .:.:.

'The scent of blood and magic end here.' He concluded, then narrowed his golden eyes to further inspect the area, 'A barrier? It seems to be fairly large at that..' He thought as demonic winds ruffled his clothing and fur tail behind him. 'Is it possible that this is the hidden location of the lost treasure?'

"Hmph, ridiculous. Such a power does not exist unless it is made purely of demon hide such as the Legendary Fang of Destruction." He muttered carelessly, 'Surely the fool didn't leave its power in such a trivial place, did he?' He mentally questioned himself knowing full and well that the foolish hanyou would do such a stupid thing. 'Pathetic.'

His fur had then sprung on end as he felt a surging purifying power coming from within the barrier and approaching him at a great pace. "A miko perhaps?"

"No dark youkai may approach this forest without losing its life." Came a warning from within the barrier.

'A woman dares to warn me of danger?' He mentally growled, "Surely you can see I am no ordinary youkai, miko. Your warning means nothing to me." He began to walk towards the forest, his face void of all emotions.

A burst of purifying power had been released from the barrier, the youkai dodging it with ease, "Back away Sesshoumaru-sama, unless you wish to lose your life." She announced. The miko despised speaking so formally, but she had no other choice. To be seen as someone of great power, one needs to know the proper language. She would much rather prefer being with Shippou, Kouga, and especially Inuyasha, speaking in normal friendly tones as opposed to this.

He stopped and glared at the forest and the semi shadowed figure hidden within it, "You know who I am and yet you still try to strike fear into me? You are as foolish as my half breed brother, and yet I recall such foolishness from another time." His claws began to glow, "Yes, I remember it now… The Legendary Priestess of The Forest of Purity, Higurashi Kagome. It seems my brother led me to its secret location. Interesting.. Nonetheless, you are hereby ordered to surrender my brother and the Tetsusaiga or I will be obliged to use force."

"Your request has been denied. I cannot entrust his care to a youkai that wishes his death." Kagome replied back, revealing herself fully to Sesshoumaru, yet still remaining behind the barrier.

He grunted and made a break for the barrier, a poison whip forming from his claws out. Of course this youkai ability had no true effect on the barrier and he was obliged to use his actual claws to try and pierce through the wall of power. A few burn marks later, Sesshoumaru stood on the outside of the forest, his face still void of emotions as he stared down at his hands, 'I don't recall her forming such a strong barrier in the past…' He glared up at her, her figure not showing any form of strain from the barrier.

.:.:. Flash Back .:.:.

_"Concentrate Kagome-sama, you have the power to protect us all!" Kikyo insisted, trying to teach Kagome of her purifying ability. Kikyo was oddly mature for her age and far too serious, but that was only due to her own master and parents._

_"I'm trying Kikyo-chan!" Kagome whimpered as she kept doing her best to keep the barrier up around the village._

_Low growls formed in the hanyou's throat as he watched Kikyo push Kagome into using her abilities. To do something like that at a time like this was not a good idea, especially not with such a dark aura heading their way. It should be the head priestess forming a barrier, not a small child. He snorted in disgust but then his nose finally caught the scent of the one approaching. "Oh no.." He mumbled, his body quivering slightly. Before he could shout at them to run away, a long poisonous whip had shot out from the depth of the forest, shattering the barrier instantly._

_Kagome screamed and fell to her knees, tears pouring out from her eyes, "M-my—"_

_As the whip was heading to hit the girl, the hanyou had appointed himself her official protector. He had been at her side in a heartbeat and had hauled her away in seconds, the whip striking the ground rather than her face._

_"I-Inu-kun!" She stuttered in awe._

_"I gotta get you to safety before Sesshoumaru hurts you." Inuyasha told her, knowing full and well that golden eyes were following his every move._

_"Pathetic ingrid.."_

.:.:. End of Flash Back .:.:.

'Of course the girl was much younger.. However for her powers to have increased this much in a short amount of time is rather unbelievable.' He glared up at the girl, his icy eyes having no affect on her. "If you do no surrender my half breed brother, then I will have no choice but to use my Tokijin."

She flinched, 'I've heard of the sword.. A blade so dark that not even the purest man or woman can bare to touch it.' She held out her hand to reinforce the barrier, 'But I'm different.'

Sesshoumaru snorted and began to withdraw his blade. Dark purple sparks instantly began to spike out of the blade as he withdrew the Tokijin. Clouds of dark aura above the youkai encircled him as the winds blew his robes fiercely, his tail leaving a trail behind him.

"No! You won't stand a chance Gome-chan! Run!"

Kagome gasped, hearing the child's voice, the one she had strictly told to hide away and never come out. 'No, Inuyasha you idiot!' She yearned to yell, but she could not find her voice.

Sesshoumaru ceased his movements, his eyes narrowing on a small form a few feet away from Kagome. 'Strange.. That boy..'

The miko remained frozen in place, knowing that there were no secrets hidden away from the youkai lord any longer. 'Either he's going to be very angry and want to kill us, or he's going to be thrilled at how easy it _will be_ to kill us..' She thought, 'Either way, the situation is not good.'

'But he also can't pass through the barrier,' A tiny voice mentally pointed out.

"What is the meaning of this? The boy carries the scent of the half breed and yet I know Inuyasha is much older than this," Sesshoumaru announced coolly, his hand never leaving the handle of his Tokijin.

"Feh, and you call yourself a full demon! You're nothin' but a—"

'_What do you think you're doing kid? Do you _want_ him to kill you?'_

"F-feh! Inuyasha is my father dumbass, so go away already."

Kagome flinched, beads of sweat rolling down her face, 'Inuyasha is being very reckless..'

"Whatever the case boy, hand over the Tetsusaiga or the woman will be killed."

Kagome bit her lip to keep from shouting a remark, "What makes you think we have it? Inuyasha might have hidden it elsewhere."

"Impossible, the scent of the blade and my brother leads to these woods. Now return the blade to this Sesshoumaru." The youkai's patience was beginning to grow thin. His eyes were filling with annoyance and anger and his blade continued to spark with power.

_'There's no way in hell you're takin' my sword jackass!'_

_"There's no way in hell you're takin' my sword jackass!"_ Yelled both hanyous, the older Inuyasha's voice just barely mixing with the younger boys. It sounded almost like an echo, and yet if Kagome weren't standing next to him, she would have probably not caught onto the two voices.

'What was that just now? I know I heard… Inuyasha..' She thought, her eyes shifting from the small figure to the dark one standing a few yards away.

There was nothing but silence between them. The demonic winds were the only sounds heard as they rustled the long grass in the field before the forest. Sesshoumaru merely narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the small child before sheathing his sword. "Hmph, ridiculous." He muttered, turning around to leave.

'Where is he going? Isn't he going to fight?' Kagome wanted to question, her eyebrows creasing in confusion.

"Do not mistaken this as a truce, miko. I can see he is in good hands and will shortly return to himself. However know this, as soon as he does transform back into the mongrel he is, I will return to claim the Tetsusaiga." He announced, beginning to stride away.

"Why aren't you going to try to take it now?" Kagome blurted, instantly regretting opening her mouth.

"There is no honour in taking The Great Dog Demons fang from a mere child." Sesshoumaru answered so quietly, that the miko had almost missed it.

Then he was gone, his demonic clouds dispersing to reveal a wonderful blue afternoon sky. Kagome's tensed up shoulders soon relaxed and she let out a breath of relief just as Inuyasha had. They had both exchanged glances before cracking smiles. 'Thank kami..' Kagome thought as she held out her hand to the nine year old. He had surprisingly taken her hand and they had both walked back to her hut in silence, enjoying each others company and both deathly glad they were still alive and in one piece.

As soon as they arrived back home, a little fox kit had instantly jumped into Kagome's arms. His emerald eyes were big and held unshed tears of worry, "Kagome! Are you okay?! I-I could feel a r-real bad aura!!" He cried, strangely feeling his body get pulled away from the girl to face dark golden pools of anger. "In-Inuyasha!"

He grunted, curling his fist and punching the poor kit so hard he went flying to the back of the hut. "That's for tricking me ya damn brat!"

"Inuyasha." Kagome scolded.

"Aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiie! Kagome! Inuyasha hit meeee!" Shippou sniffled.

"There's more where that came from fox!" Shouted the hanyou, leaping at the kit, snatching him by the collar of his shirt and dragging him out of the hut. Kagome blinked dumbly before quickly following to scold him to stop. However, she arrived too late. Inuyasha had already twirled the fox kit and launched him into the depth of the forest.

The dog demon grinned, twitching one of his ears back as he heard the miko approach. He knew she was angry, but he was even angrier at the fox kit and would gladly argue with the girl if she thought his tactics were far too mean.

"He did deserve that." Kagome mused, "But you do know we're going to have to find him later."

"Feh, not for awhile we don't."

"Inuyasha." She said in a warning tone.

He stiffened, "F-fine. We'll go now." He grunted, not finding enough will to fight back with her. Though its not like she was angry at him for throwing the kit. She actually did seem okay with it. The thought made him secretly smile as they searched for the kit, soon finding him stuck in a tree, his eyes filled with dizziness.

_'The wench has grown up. Heh, I was right to come here.. And I'm glad I am here. She's the only one I ever trusted.. And I.. I still… Kagome..'_

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**A/N I'm back and fully loaded! It took me awhile to get back into my groove, but I'm here now. After I post this chapter I'm going to go straight to working on my other fic of Zombie-Loan. I missed writing and so I look forward to continuing this fic and for receiving your reviews! Toodles!**

**Inu: So lets review the plan.**

**Mir: Right. First we dump this bucket of honey on the dude right when he walks out of the ice cream place with Sango.**

**Inu: Then we let the feathers go.**

**Mir: He looks like a chicken.**

**Inu: Goes to his car and finds his tires slashed.**

**Mir: And I, being the gentleman that I am, will come out of nowhere in my car, seeing Sango in distress and in need of a ride home.**

**Inu: So you'll take her home, kiss the girl, and end the date on a high note.**

**Kag: There's one problem with that, boys.**

**-Inu and Miroku turn around in bushes- : Busted..**

**Kag: Sango called earlier saying she spotted you two spying on her. So I'm here to take you morons home.**

**Inu: Shit.**

**Mir: And here I thought we were so stealth..**

**Kag: -growls- Start marching boys.**

**Moi: Too bad they were caught, I would have liked to see what happened to the poor guy. Well, R&R!**


	8. Enter One Perverted Monk

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Ha ha, just like the title says, I bet you know who's in this chapter.. Enjoy!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 8. Enter One Perverted Monk  
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A week had flown by in the Forest with no changes whatsoever happening to Inuyasha. Kagome was beginning to worry over the health of the young hanyou, though she would never let him know. The summer nights were beginning to cool, leading Kagome to believe that the fall season would be arriving shortly. Soon the leafs would begin to change colours and fall from their branches. The Forest was most beautiful during the fall season with all of its bright colours coating the soft earth.

A gust of wind shook Kagome from her thoughts as she listened to the shimmering leafs. She sighed and returned to her morning routine, gathering her things to go bathe in the hot springs. Inuyasha would often tell her that she didn't need to bathe so much, that she smelled fined. She shrivelled her nose, 'To him I might smell fine, but it's the fact that I feel the dirt on my skin and the sweat from the previous day.. It's rather disgusting.' She thought to herself.

She stumbled over her own feet and barely caught herself as she made her way to wake Shippou and Inuyasha for their bath. She had kneeled next to the kit first, and nudged him lightly, "Shippou-chan, time to wake up." She whispered softly.

"Nngh.. Already?" He mumbled half heartedly.

She knew he was awake now and moved on to the moody hanyou. These days, he would just sleep cross-legged with his back against the wall. Sometimes, she'd manage to get him wrapped in a blanket, but by morning the blanket would be nicely folded next to him.

"Inuyasha? Come on, it's time to wake up. I've gathered our towels and the soap."

He peeked one tired eye open to glare at her, "Do I hafta go?"

"Yup," She smiled, standing to her feet, "You don't have to take a bath, but you do have to come. You never know when I might need a strong hanyou to protect me and Shippou-chan!"

That got him to his feet, "Keh, of course! You're just a weak human, and that brat ain't good for anything but a distraction." He told her, stalking off to the door.

'That gets him every time..'

.:.:.:. After the hot springs .:.:.:.

Kagome had ushered the boys back to her home, trying her best to hide her slight anxiety. She had sensed someone pass through her barrier some time ago, and it wouldn't be long until they crossed paths. It wasn't unusual for such a thing to happen. Actually it happens very often since the person usually doesn't even know he or she is passing through holy territory. What has been bothering her is the fact that she has been having far too many visits concerning Inuyasha. She knows about the hanyou being the target of several rogue youkai and dark priestesses. So for now, until his curse is broken, she is to see every visitor as a threat until proven otherwise.

The young hanyou knew of the newcomer for some time now. His nose had caught a whiff of a new scent and he had taken to the trees on their journey back home. He knew they were being rushed, he wasn't born yesterday, not to mention the voice in his head had told him what Kagome was up to. 'I sound like some idiot right now.. Depending on a stupid voice..'

_'Shut up and pay attention kid.'_

'Feh!' His golden orbs glanced back into the foliage, his feet digging into the bark of a thick tree branch as he leapt up and onto the next branch ahead. His ears twitched back listening for any alarming noises as they approached Kagome's hut. The runt was left in the yard as the miko had gone inside to gather her bow and arrows.

"Inuyasha!" She called shortly after slipping out of the hut, "Stay here please and watch Shippou-chan, okay? I'll be back shortly. I just need to check up on something."

"Wh-where are you going? You said we could play a new game." Shippou sputtered, his emerald green eyes filling with confusion.

"Some baka entered into the forest and she's going to see who." Inuyasha replied for the boy, as he landed next to him silently.

Kagome shot a glare towards the dog hanyou, but then shook her head, "Don't worry Shippou-chan, I'll be back to play our game." She reassured him, giving him a pat on the head. She sighed and tweaked one of Inuyasha's ears before leaving the two to their thoughts.

"Why does Kagome have to be the one to do this? Isn't there somebody else out there that can go see who it is?" Shippou squeaked innocently, crouching to draw in the dirt with one of his tiny claws.

"Feh, you really are dumb. Don't you know? This is the Forest of Purity, and the guardian is Kagome. Only she has enough power to stop the bad demons from getting in here. Only she has the power to protect this place. And only she can break the spell that I'm under."

"Why her? Why not another priestess?"

He flattened his ears in sadness and sat down cross-legged into the dirt, "Because she's the purest woman alive right now. I remember my old man telling me that the purest miko is born only once every five centuries, and that they have special duties to fulfill."

"Once every five centuries? But she's only human! She'll barely live up to one century!" Shippou argued hotly.

The hanyou snarled and shook his head, "Don't you get it? She's no ordinary human. Her powers are beyond pure, beyond this world! She can live up to eight centuries if she takes good care of herself, but most pure miko's like her end up dying a little bit past five centuries. Like I said, they have special duties to fulfill and since they have such a unique power, bad demons and evil humans constantly seek it out. That's why they end up dead a lot sooner than they should be."

Shippou sat down in the dirt and sniffled, "Poor Kagome…" They were silent for a few moments, then an idea formed in his head, "Wait, what if she were mated to a demon?"

"Hn?"

"What would happen if she were mated to a demon?" He repeated eagerly.

"How am I supposed to know?" Inuyasha growled, crossing his arms.

"Well you were the one that was telling me this stuff! Don't you know what the outcome of being mated to a youkai would be?"

Inuyasha stood up and walked towards the hut, taking on leap to sit up on the roof, "I told you what my old man told me, brat. I don't know anything else. You're better off asking her yourself." He laid himself down and placed his hands behind his head, closing his eyes tiredly. The kit irritated him to no end.

"H-hey! Y-you're not allowed up th-there!" Shippou complained.

"Says who?"

"… I'm sure Ka-Kagome wouldn't like that you're there! Yo-You could get hurt!"

"Shut up and lemme sleep."

Kagome had returned just past mid after noon. Inuyasha could barely restrain the voice in his head as he heard Kagome shout out in the distance, "_Baka hentai houshiiii_!" Followed by a loud slapping noise. His first instinct was to find whoever was obviously touching the miko, and to slit his throat and gut him.

_'He's gunna wish he's never laid eyes on Kagome..'_

Inuyasha rolled his eyes and merely watched as Kagome half dragged what looked like a houshi towards the hut. Though he had to crinkle his nose due to the reeking scent of sickness that seemed to be radiating off of him. He half wondered if whatever sickness he had caused the bruises on his face to occur, but then he thought back to Kagome yelling and figured it was her doing.

"Honestly miko-san, my hand has a mind of its own…" Slurred the houshi just as he and Kagome entered the hut. He had long navy and purple robes, some material and beads covering his right hand that held a clinking gold staff weakly. His dark locks were pulled back into a small ponytail and his eyes were weary dark blue orbs.

The miko merely glared as she set him down on guest futon, "Stay still for now. I'll prepare the medicine." She muttered angrily, storming away after he was tucked in.

Inuyasha had walked into the hut followed by Shippou to see who the newcomer was. From what Inuyasha could see, the man looked to be around Kagome's age and very sick. Before he could even ask who it was, Kagome had sent him and Shippou off to the river to gather some cold water.

"Why the hell are we doin' this for a baka perverted houshi?" Inuyasha fumed during the walk to the river.

"M-maybe h-he's courting Kagome?" Shippou suggested, his tiny fox paws barely able to keep up with Inuyasha's long strides.

"Feh! He's a houshi! They aren't allowed in a relationship!" The dog hanyou growled, bushing the bushes away from his body to emerge into a small clearing. "Now hurry up and get the water brat."

Shippou snorted, "He could have found a loop hole or something. Or maybe he's given up being holy and just likes wearing the clothes." He wobbled to the water and filled the bucket to the top. He struggled to drag the bucket out of the river and onto the grass, his small body not yet used to carrying such heavy things.

"Shut up ya weak kit." Inuyasha snatched the bucket away form Shippou with ease and began the trek back to the hut.

As soon as they arrived, there was yet another loud slap and a painful yelp. Inuyasha had a growl forming at his lips, dropping the bucket next to Kagome inside the home. She had smiled gratefully and had Shippou bring a clean cloth to her. She had wet it and placed in onto the houshi's forehead gently.

"I gave him his medicine, so now we have to wait." Kagome whispered.

"Who is this horrible excuse for a monk? And what kind of sickness does he have?" Inuyasha questioned.

Kagome stood and walked towards the kitchen, "His name is Miroku, and he's been poisoned with insect venom." She explained, "He didn't even realize he had crossed through the barrier until I found him half conscious a few yards into my territory. He told me his hand was cursed and while he was hunting a demon, the poisonous insects had surprised him. My herbs should lower his fever and neutralize the poison soon." Kagome reassure the boy.

"Keh! Like I care for the perverted idiot! If he touches you again I'll strangle him in his sleep!" Inuyasha snarled protectively.

The girl shook her head and sighed, a soft smile tugging at her pale lips at Inuyasha's anger. 'He seems to be very protective of me, it's almost like he's jealous.'

Miroku had woken up sometime during the night, his fever almost completely gone. He had slowly made his way to the door of the hut, slipping out quietly to sit outside. Though no matter how quiet he thought he was, no one could outsmart Kagome. She had been hot on his trail and moments later sitting next to him.

"You should be sleeping Houshi-sama." Kagome muttered.

"Honestly miko-san, I feel fine." Miroku reassured, "It's as if I was never poisoned."

Kagome grinned to herself, "That's because you were healed by me.." She boasted, "But enough of that. I am very curious you see, and I noticed your right hand possesses sealing beads. Exactly what are they sealing away?" She questioned.

Miroku coughed to clear his throat, "You know, I hardly know you miko-san. It is a story to be told to only those I can trust."

The miko brushed some invisible dirt from her clothing and glanced up at the moon, "Do you have any idea where you are at the moment, Houshi-sama?"

He too stared up at the moon, his dark blue orbs then shifting to the millions of sparkling stars above, "I haven't the slightest idea."

"The Forest of Purity." Kagome answered bleakly, her eyes never wavering away from the bright moon above her.

Even when Miroku hard sharply turned towards her, her eyes had never shifted. "Th-that's impossible. That forest does not exist, it's merely a story."

Kagome slowly turned her head to him, her gaze burning holes into him, "I wish it was. And yet, here I am, imprisoned here until the next chosen priestess is born to take my place." She replied, "So you see, you can trust me houshi-sama."

He gaped at her, glancing away deep in thought. There was a moment of silence and then he spoke slowly, "My hand is curse with a black hole. A demon by the name of Naraku had first cursed my grandfather, and now it has been passed down to me. Every year the hole grows larger until it, one day, will devour my very being.

"Unless Naraku is killed, my kazanna will kill me. I was hunting for Naraku when I came upon a weasel youkai. I knew he was doing some sort of business with Naraku so I fought him. I didn't expect him to have poisonous insects with him, and well they were sucked into the void of my hand."

"You wandered around in search of the nearest village and actually passed through my barrier and entered my grounds. Now you're here, right?" Kagome smiled gently.

The dark haired male shifted uncomfortably and bit his lip nervously, "If you're real.. Does this mean that all the legends are true? Including the Shikon—"

"Hai." Kagome cut off, "They're all true and not to worry, the gem is safe along with all the inhabitants of this forest."

He nodded to himself, "Yes, I must say I am envious of all that live here. To be blessed with such a beautiful protector.. I don't know how any can resist such beauty."

Kagome blushed profusely, her eyes lowering to her fidgeting hands, "W-why thank you houshi-sama. But you shouldn't say such things.. I-I—"

Miroku was kneeling by her in seconds, his hands caressing hers, "My fair maiden, you carry such a burden.. You should share your burden with another to lessen the strain."

Golden eye's glared out from the darkness within the hut, annoyed slits glaring daggers as a small growled formed in his throat. No one had noticed the light that had engulfed him momentarily before it had dispersed, not even him.

"Kagome-chan," Miroku whispered to the blushing miko, "Will you bear my children?"

Kagome froze, not only at the line, but because one of his hands had traveled elsewhere once he said it. Anger slowly bubbled within her, and soon enough the houshi was on the ground with far too many bruises to count. "_Hentai houshi_!" She screeched, slapping him hard once again before stomping back into the hut.

She was too angry to even notice the hidden hanyou in the corner and had slipped into her small room to sleep. He had followed her in after he was sure she was asleep, and sat himself down against the wall. Once again, his clothes had shrunk and he had grown.

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**A/N Woo, one more down. Miroku is now in, and Inuyasha is yet again going through another growth spurt. Wooo! Thank you for waiting patiently for this chapter and thanks for your reviews!! Please continue to R&R!**

**Mir: Sa-Sango-san! Honestly! I didn't mean to fondle Kagome! Th-these hand! Th-they're cursed I say—!**

**San: -takes out Hiraikotsu- I don't believe you, hentai.**

**Mir: Sa-Sango-san! W-wait, think about what you're doing—!**

**Clunk, Boom, Thump.**

**San: Serves you right, you flirtatious bastard… -walks away-**

**Mir: -is unconscious with a black eye and lumps on his head-**

**Kag: I think Sango might have over did it this time..**

**Inu: He had it comin' –continues to eat ramen-**

**Moi: Well aren't you just the nicest guy Inu.. lolz, R&R!**


	9. Plans Are Made

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha!**

**A/N Woo! Updated! Enjoy!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 9. Plans Are Made**

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It was storming outside by the time Kagome woke up the next morning. Thunder roared loudly throughout her home, shaking the hut with each boom of loudness. Lightning would light up the rooms for several seconds before dissipating once again into the darkness. Shippou was frightened out of his wits by the second clap of thunder, and had latched onto the miko for dear life.

"Shi-Shippou-chan..?" Kagome had groggily sat up, wincing as more thunder shook the tiny house.

"I-it's r-really loud outside.." He whimpered, his entire body quivering in fright.

"Keh! It's just noise baka!" Scowled the inu hanyou, sitting little ways away from Kagome with his ears pinned to his head.

The miko had to blink twice before her eyes finally registered what she was seeing. Her silver haired half demon had either gone through a growth spurt, or had somehow aged over night. Either way, he leaned up against the wall and looked much bigger than usual. His clothes had visibly shrunk too, so she knew she wasn't imagining things. "Inuyasha? I don't understand, how is it you've grown?" She furrowed her brows in confusion.

He glared at her through his silver bangs, his eyes burning holes into hers, "Feh! Like I know a damn thing about it!"

She was taken back by his anger, but soon found her worrisome mood turning into a low rage, "Well you don't have to be so rude about it! I was simply asking a question Inuyasha!"

"I can be as rude as I want, wench!" Snarled the hanyou.

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance, 'So now begins the transformation into puberty.. Once again, why couldn't he just remain as a small boy? He was so adorable..' "Don't call me wench. That is a warning, boy." Kagome growled.

"Feh." Inuyasha muttered, standing up to leave. It felt weird, having such short pants on. He never knew he could get so tall in merely two years of growing. He was the age of an eleven year old, and he was somewhat growing a bit worried. Somehow, the voice in the back of his mind was slowly being silenced. He couldn't hear him as much in his dreams or talking to him for the sake of annoying him. 'What's happening, why can't I—' He bumped into someone and toppled over.

"Oh, my apologies child, I didn't mean to bump into you like that."

"Outta my way ya damn perverted houshi!" Inuyasha stood up and stalk passed him in a huff, half embarrassed at being brought to his knees by a human.

"What a foul mouth for such a young boy. What is your name? I am—"

"Miroku, ya I know, and I could care less." Inuyasha stopped for a moment and turned around, brandishing his claws to the monk. Now was as good a time as ever to state what had been bumping around in his mind since last night, "My name is Inuyasha, and if you ever lay one hand on Kagome again, _monk_, we'll just have to see if your _kazaana_ forms in your left hand if your right one happens to accidentally get sliced off." He cracked his knuckles to emphasize his threat and let out a low but audible growl.

Miroku visibly tensed, and swallowed hard, "I see you overheard us last night. Strange though, I recall you being much smaller yesterday, or was that the fever playing mind tricks on me.."

"You're right Houshi-sama, Inuyasha has grown. And now I see the cause of it quite clearly," She smiled at the hanyou boy, and oddly enough he had flushed in embarrassment.

The said half demon had turned around to hide his blush, trying his best to fight it back and think of different thoughts. He couldn't help it.. He knew she knew.. That last night he was clearly jealous. 'I don't understand these strong feelings, what the hell are they and why don't I want that freaking monk near her if it kills me?' He thought sourly.

"Ahem, I was just on my way to speak with you Kagome-chan. For I was going to ask for a favour." Miroku began, "I know this must sound very rude of me, but I was wondering if perhaps you would be able to show us the gem?"

The air in the hut had turned still and filled with small amounts of tension emitting from the miko. Her face had saddened and turned a pale white as she debated an answer, the room remaining quiet while they waited for her response. Though the monk had spoken once more, assuring her that he didn't need to see it, but was merely curious about its origins.

"Ah, it's nothing to apologize for Houshi-sama. Of course we can see it." She replied lightly, "It is storming outside and we have nothing better to do than stay inside." She continued, walking over to her makeshift kitchen to search for a small candle. Her feet and scrounging were the only sounds heard within the home, that and the outside booming thunder along with the pouring of the rain. Inuyasha was also interested in this so called gem while the fox kit already knew more than he wanted about it. He had followed nonetheless since he did not wish to be left behind all alone in the home.

"Are you suggesting that the jewel is in this hut?"

Kagome thought for a moment, taking in the monk's thoughts, "No, not really in my home.. Just sort of a part of it.." She found her candle and quickly lit it. It was placed in a makeshift lantern and they were set to go.

"Just follow me, I hope you aren't afraid of small spaces." She smiled brightly, walking back towards her small chambers.

The hanyou was the one found bringing up the rear of the group. He was still rather embarrassed and angry at the same time. The monk was an annoyance like the kitsune, and he could hardly stand them. Deep within him, he could feel the need to just be with Kagome, but he squished those thoughts with ease. She was a miko, a human woman, the wench. As if some stupid creature could make him feel such a silly need.. He was so deep in his thoughts that he had failed to notice that he was subconsciously following them in a tunnel.

Apparently Kagome had a hidden latch beneath her bed, once you climb down the ladder, or in his case, jump to the bottom, you reach a tunnel. The walls were made of wood, as were the floors, as if it were a hall of a castle. His fur stood on end, as candles on the walls around them lit up as they walked by, traces of old magic making him feel uneasy. It was an easy enough spell but still brought up foul memory of the original spell that Kikyo cast on him, causing a growl to form at his lips.

No, he wouldn't get angry now over some stupid candles lighting up. He was with Kagome, nothing would happen as long as he stayed with her. They had soon reached the end of the hall and had walked into a room. He shuddered as he walked through a powerful barrier and stepped into the purest room he had ever felt. It made him gag slightly, but he soon got a hold of himself, eyeing Shippou wearily as the poor boy crouched down and winced slightly in pain.

"This is the room that holds the Sacred Jewel and protects it. There are a series of barriers around it that would take far too much power to break unless it's me." Kagome's voice began.

His silver dog ears twitched as he listened and focused on a bright pink pearl in the centre of the room on a stand. It was a necklace, and a visible aura cloaked it. Any human could see it, it was so thick and pure. His nose burned slightly due to the pureness of the room and the gem, his mind racing for answers on the object. Somehow, he knew he recognized it, but he couldn't quite remember how.

"The Shikon no Tama was created many many centuries ago by accident." Kagome continued, "When the first purest miko was born, the world was far darker and filled with more demons than in this day and age. She had fought to protect the good and purify the evil with her immense powers and her abnormally long life span until one day, she faced the foulest of creatures. It was a combination of several demons that made too much of a foe for her alone to defeat.

"She found that her body was beginning to give out, and as a final resort, she had pushed whatever amount of power she had left to imprison the youkai within this jewel, and herself in the process. Unfortunately, she is doomed to battle the youkai inside the Shikon no Tama for dominance over the gem for all eternity. A new miko was born soon after and had obtained the jewel. It was then that the purest miko was given her mission and the Forest of Purity was created centuries later to help with that mission. The gem was already once in the possession of demons and terror had enveloped the world. If it were to happen again, surely we would all be doomed.

"It is our duty to protect the gem, keep the location hidden, and help it remain pure. Until the next purest miko is born, it is my duty to protect this."

Miroku sighed, his eyes having never left the saddened miko's. "Such a tragic story." He whispered, "However I recall hearing a rumour that if you made a wish on the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls, it would come true, it that possible?"

Inuyasha's ears perked, 'A wish you say?'

"Yes and no. Depending the nature of the wish, it could either completely purify the jewel and it would cease to exist, or it could bring sadness and destruction to all creatures. The miko's of the past have been far too afraid to dare make a wish on the gem for fear of it being too selfish. So it has remained protected instead." Kagome answered.

"Kagome! This isn't fair! Why can't it just be gone! Why does it have to exist? M-my p-parents wo-would still be alive if it weren't for this!" The small kitsune bawled, his emerald eyes beginning to swell.

"The Shikon only brings sadness to those who possess it. It's a curse really, and I'm terribly sorry for your loss. You're parent's were very brave Shippou-chan. And they had warded off terrible demons for so long. They will forever be remembered for their greatness." Kagome said sympathetically, walking over to the boy and scooping him up.

"Keh! I say you should just destroy it!"

"Some tried already, but nothing worked. It couldn't be melted, nor shattered. This gem is virtually impenetrable." Miroku replied, "Or so I hear."

"It's true, you're right Houshi-sama."

"Well as far as I know, you're damn generation of miko's are just a bunch of pussy's, too afraid to change the course of history." With that said, Inuyasha stormed out of the room, not understanding exactly where all this pent up anger was coming from. It was familiar, but somehow he knew that only his true self would know the answers. For now, he just hated everything that had to do with the Shikon no Tama and he wished it never existed.

"What a hot headed young fellow.." Miroku blinked in fascination.

"What's wrong with him?" Shippou inquired.

"Who knows."

.:.:.:. With Inuyasha .:.:.:.

_"She's too young--!"_

_"It's not fair!"_

_"It is her duty as the purest miko.."_

Inuyasha flattened his ears as he tried to block out the voices. It seemed as though the older him was trying to show him the memories of the past. Still, it confused the boy how two version of him could exist at the same time. It was beyond weird and only the doing of black magic could cause such mental chaos.

'I need to get away..' He was soon back in the hut and glaring outside at the horrible weather. It had to be the longest storm he had ever seen, since it was clearly still pouring rain outside. At least the thunder and lightning had let off, which was enough to convince him to leave the hut. It was just water after all, nothing bad would happen to him due to water.

The hanyou snorted, 'As if this could hurt me. Keh!' He had leapt out into the darkness, intent on blowing off some pent up steam. He had run as far as he could in the forest while staying under the protection of the barrier. When he found that he was far enough, he soon began to claw up various innocent trees.

"Iron reaver soul _stealer_!" He shouted in anger, bringing down yet another tree. His eye's hid beneath his bangs as he walked over to the toppled tree and sat down. The voices still wouldn't cease their bouncing, despite his mental pleas. They were beyond bothering him and making him that much more confused. All these emotions were confusing and he couldn't decipher them anymore. The result of this bewilderment was naturally anger, and he found his claws digging into the soft flesh of his hands.

_"I want her to live a better life! She's too young to take on such a responsibility!" _

"I want her to live a better life! She's too young to take on such a responsibility!" The boy was speaking in unison with his other self's memories, as if repeating them.

_"It's not fair!"_

"It's not fair!" Inuyasha shouted.

_"Kagome.."_

"Kagome.." He whispered.

Time seemed to be moving terribly fast, and soon enough, the rain had temporarily stopped. The half dog youkai never stood from his place on the cut down tree. His once lively golden orbs were now dull as if he were unconscious. Drops of blood leaked out of the puncture wounds of his hands, but he never noticed. They were just scratches anyways.

The scent of new blood wafted to his nose, so weak that he would have merely ignored it if it weren't for the fact that his ears were picking up noises as well. Soon, his eyes had snapped back to normal and he was back to himself. He mentally cursed himself for zoning out, and cursed the rain for that matter since it made it that much more difficult to find the source of the new blood.

'This blood, I know the scent..' He thought, increasing his speed and taking to the trees. Soon enough he was deeper into the forest and the scent had increased ten fold. His heart was racing and beating in is ears terribly loud until all sounds of it suddenly ceased. Yes, his heart had stopped for a single second as he took in the sight just bellow him.

There, in a ring of wolves, was an unconscious and what looked like the broken body of the green pant miko, Kagome.

Then, everything went red.

_"Bl-bl-b…..bla..bla—d..es..bla..des…"_ Whispered the voice so quietly he could barely make it out.

He cracked his knuckles, digging his claws into the flesh of his palms.

"_Bla—des..bl-bl…oo…bl—of..d..bl—ood… of.."_

The long nails glowed red as his eye's rimmed with the same crimson colour.

"_Bl… Blades… of blood!" _

"_Blades of blood_!!" He snarled viciously.

-X-

"You wish for my power just for the purpose of destroying a hanyou?" Inquired a deep malicious voice filled with amusement.

Kikyo had to bite back a sour comment before nodding her head along with Tsubaki. The two were currently sitting respectfully before a semi transparent screen that held their dark lord on the other side. He seemed to be contemplating whether or not he should help them. He had eyed Kikyo many times lustfully to the point where the miko had to fight back a gag.

"You wouldn't be without pay. Surely there is something of interest that we could give you in return." Tsubaki insisted darkly.

Naraku grinned, revealing his surprisingly pearly white teeth, "In fact, there is something I desire very much."

Kikyo was about to protest, having thought that he was implying something with her but had been silenced by his voice.

"The Forest of Purity contains the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls. I want it, in return for breaking this so called powerful barrier." He announced.

Tsubaki and Kikyo exchanged brief glances, both of them unsure if such a malevolent youkai should possess such a great power. Though Inuyasha would die.. Would it be worth it?

The answer is yes.

That hanyou was beyond trouble and it disgusted Kikyo how such a being could be alive in this world. A half demon half human being.. Worthless.. Such a waste of space.

"Hai, we agree to your terms. The Shikon no Tama will be yours." Kikyo assured the man, feeling her own evil smile form on her lips.

"Then consider the mutt dead."

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**A/N One more down! This story won't be very long, but I mean, what stories of mine are? Eh, at least it's updated! Oh and Naraku is not a half demon in this.. He is a Youkai posing as a lord and stuff like his usual stunts… R&R people!**


	10. On the Loose

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha!**

**A/N Great start to a new year! With a new chapter! R&R!!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 10. On the Loose**

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All he could see was red. All he could feel was the warmth of the crimson liquid that coated his hands and slowly sunk into his clothes. His entire being was slowly being covered with the metallic scented substance as he brutally killed the wolf pack. His eye's burned with hell fire as he let out a series of deep growls and grunts.

Crouching cautiously to the ground, he prepared himself for another attack. His bare feet dug into the moist ground as he made a move to swipe at another creature, without much effort. He then landed gracefully and leapt back into the air, flipping himself to avoid being hit by one of them. He had landed once again in front of Kagome, shielding her as three more wolves approached. Yelps of pain echoed through the foliage as he finished them all off.

The smell was beyond horrendous and painful for his nose, but he ignored it. He was soaked with the smell of wolf blood, and looked as if he had just killed a village of humans. His fangs were still prodding out of his mouth and his crimson eyes had never ceased their glowing even after all the enemies were killed. His heart just wouldn't stop racing and he soon found himself wondering why he was trying to save a human woman.

His memories were starting to fade, along with his logic. Then he remembered, 'Ka..Kagome..' He had stepped to her unmoving body, his feet padding in the puddles of mud and blood as he did. Crouching to her level he could see that she was still breathing, but barely. He could hear a faint heartbeat and soon found himself carrying the girl in his small but very strong arms. The woman was a great deal larger than him, which made running with her very difficult until he had managed to move her so that she was on his back.

He had taken to the trees, finding it to be easier than running through the mud. The rain never ceased, though even with the pouring water he still had incredible amounts of blood coating him. However, not only was his body covered, but Kagome's as well. So much that he couldn't even locate her injuries. Luckily not all of the blood on her belonged to her but the idiot pack that dared to harm her. His own injuries hardly mattered to him since he dubbed them as being a minor threat to his health.

His feet dug into the moist bark of the tree branches, bounding noiselessly to the next branch at a speed that was beyond incredible. He thought he could even outrun a true full demon if he kept this up. His blue-crimson eyes had briefly darted back to see her condition, his heart filling with worry and sadness. His dog ears could just barely pick up her heartbeat with all the other noises surrounding them. He had stared ahead and given a final push to leap out of the trees and land softly in a crouch in front of what looked like a suitable shelter for her.

Of course it was none other than the girl's own home, but he didn't know that. He couldn't recognize it all that well, nor could he remember the other tenants inside. He had entered without a second thought, shooting a glare at the other two males in the home. Growling, he had bared his fangs to frighten them as he continued to walk through the home to reach a more private room. He knew that this place was familiar and was mildly surprised to find a room covered in the woman's scent.

Inuyasha had deduced that this was her home, but still didn't trust the others. That's why he had first placed the girl down on her bed before turning to growl at the intruders at the doorway.

Holy powers..

That man was a threat to him. One with burning abilities.

He growled louder and cracked his bloody knuckles. He knew that the man was frightened, but he seemed to advance towards them regardless of Inuyasha's threats. Though he could see that the older man held his hands up as if not wanting to harm them. He was also speaking in a strange tongue.

"Inuyasha! Please, I just want to see her.. She's hurt! Isn't she?" Miroku pointed to Kagome.

_'Ka…Gome.. Help.. Let… them help.. Kagome..!.. Br..at!'_ The voice was muffled.. familiar..

His ear twitched, and he mentally wondered where the strange voice seemed to come from. He clutched his pounding head momentarily, yelping in pain when the voice got louder. He flattened his ears against his skull and whimpered, squeezing his eye's shut. His claws that dug into his once silver hair had shrunk in size as well as his fangs. Though his face still bared it's purplish stripes, and his now open eyes were crimson and gold.

_'Help.. Ka..gome!'_ The voice was closer now.

"Inuyasha?" Miroku asked in alarm.

"Miroku! What's going on?! Kagome!! She's--!" Shippou sobbed from the doorway.

"..Shit…. My head… Damn it.." Inuyasha cursed slowly, glancing up at the monk briefly. "What're you lookin' at? Stop gawkin' at me and help Kagome!" He barked rudely.

Miroku had snapped himself out of his minor daze and done as the small youkai had ordered. He had examined her, and for once, had not been perverted about any of it. He had found several deep bite marks, and that the poor miko was running a fever. "Shippou, go back into Kagome-san's kitchen and bring me a bowl and all of her medicinal herbs." He ordered the kitsune, "Inuyasha, you're going to have to bring me water and bandages—On second thought.." He eyed the filthy and smelly child, "I'll collect the water and bandages, you keep an eye on her until I return. Then go and clean yourself up.. I don't even want to know where all that blood is from."

Inuyasha was taken aback before looking himself over. If these weren't his only clothes.. Then he would burn them.. But now it seemed like he needed a bath… a very long one.. Once the monk and kitsune had returned, he had left. He knew that the smell that seemed to be pulsing off of him was beyond putrid and would not help Kagome's condition. He couldn't even look at her properly without having a strong twisting feeling in his stomach.

'Why do I feel like this? .. I… I hope the monk can heal her..'

-X-

"You better be keeping your thoughts clean Miroku!" Shippou hissed soon after the half inu youkai left.

Miroku sent Shippou a small glare, "Of course I am. What do you take me for? A pervert? Please, I am a holy man, and this poor miko is injured! I have to—" He blinked down in amazement as her small injuries began to let off large amounts of spiritual powers.

"W-what's happening?!" Shippou gawked, his fur standing on end from the sudden change in spiritual pressure.

Small beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "Sh-she's subconsciously healing herself. We better change her clothes to make her more comfortable when she wakes up.."

"She's going to be okay?"

"At the rate her body is healing, I'm sure she will be fine. Her fever also seems to be doing better." He noted. "Where do you figure her clothes are kept?" Miroku inquired innocently.

Shippou had narrowed his eyes, "You're going to get yours someday soon baka.." He mumbled to himself, pointing at the small chest that held the miko's garments.

-X-

The rain had ceased that night, and the next morning was filled with bright rays of sunlight. Inuyasha had returned late the previous night having tried his best to clean himself of the disgusting ookami scent. His appearance was normal once again and he had briefly explained what had happened to the other two. Well, explained as much as he could remember.

Things were a little fuzzy for him and he had stayed up the whole night trying his best to recall the past event, but he couldn't. He had watched over her that entire night with his storming pools of amber, recalling nothing beyond his discovery of her in the ring of wolves.

He could have killed an entire army of youkai and he wouldn't have remembered it...

His thoughts were interrupted when a crashing noise had drawn his attention away from Kagome. The noise had successfully stirred the girl from her slumber, and of course had woken up the other inhabitants of the hut. The scent that filled the air was definitely ookami..

More crashing noises..

He pinned his ears down on his head and stood up in front of Kagome protectively.

_"Who the hell are you..?! A monk?! Why can I smell her blood on you! What did you do to her?!!"_

_"I-I have no idea what you are—Ack! These are my only clothes--! W-whaaa! Oumph!"_

Inuyasha heard the thump of the monk hitting the wall and then floor. Obviously he had been tossed aside and he could hear several loud footsteps hurrying down the hall and into her room. He had prepared himself for any attack that could potentially harm her.

It was none other than Kouga entering the room, his cool eye's were beyond worried and angry. He had sniffed the air and narrowed his eyes at the hanyou, before glancing at Kagome. "Kagome.. Shit! What happened here mutt?!"

Inuyasha winced, "Keh! Your wolves! That's what happened!"

Kagome had cracked her eye's open, letting out a big yawn. Of course the first thing she saw was Inuyasha.. and Kouga? The were arguing and.. pulling at each other's faces..

"It's your fault--!"

"Mine?! If _you_ had kept better watch over your stupid—"

"Oh please! None of this would have happened if you didn't--!"_  
_  
Kagome blinked slowly, sitting herself completely up. Her head felt fuzzy, but besides that, she felt pretty okay.. She cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes in annoyance, "What.. is going on?"

"Kagome!" They said in unison.

She blinked and sweat dropped when they both scrambled to sit next to her. "A-ano.. why are you both acting so strangely..?"

"Are you alright? I swear I didn't know until this morning that my wolves got out." Kouga promised.

"Wolves…?"

-Flash-

"_Get away! I won't hesitate to kill you..!" Water dripped down her face, her clutch on her bow tightening._

-Flash-

"I found you hurt Kagome." Inuyasha said grimly, "That's all I remember."

The raven haired girl touched her head lightly, "I went out to look for you.."

_'We shouldn't have left..' _The voice whimpered slightly in Inuyasha's mind.

'You kept putting those stupid memories--!'

_'Keh! That's nothing.'_

Kouga had explained to the miko that his wolves had gotten out yesterday and that he didn't know about it until early this morning. He was apologizing profusely and was even apologizing to Inuyasha. He knew that the hanyou had killed the wolves, their scent still lingered around him, mostly around his claws. He was thankful the mutt had found her, otherwise.. with the rain and all.. she would have been in serious danger.

'This girl is supposed to be some really strong miko.. How in the hell's were simple wolf youkai able to harm her?!' Inuyasha had wanted to know.

'Ain't it obvious? She was worried, it was raining. She probably wasn't expecting a pack of wolves to attack her… They probably… caught.. h-her by… sur-prise…'

Great, now the oh so helpful voice in his head was beginning to fade away again. Sighing, he had shifted himself so that he was sitting against a wall. Kouga seemed to be in a deep conversation with her and he didn't feel like interrupting. The wolf wasn't that bad..

_'F-flea..bag..'_

..And he also seemed to care for Kagome a lot. It wasn't until the question of how her clothes were changed that he had tuned in. "I never touched them.." He mumbled.

"Kagome!! You're awake!!" A high pitched squealing kitsune yipped, bouncing into the room happily.

"Shippou-chan!" Kagome giggled as he bounded into her arms for a hug.

"I was so worried! And Miroku was too! You should have seen his face when he saw your injuries!" Shippou whined, "Then he said that he wanted to make you more comfortable, so he changed your clothes--!"

Kouga's ears twitched in irritation, his eye's narrowing in slight anger. Another male.. A monk to boot.. Had seen his precious Kagome naked? His fur stood on end in anger, the black aura of destruction clearly surrounding his being.

"A-ah, Kouga-kun..?" Kagome laughed nervously as she observed him standing and leaving.

"I'll be back Kagome. I just have some unfinished business.." Kouga simply stated, leaving.

Inuyasha's eye's followed him out and he tried his best to hide his smirk. Kagome had turned to him and asked him to go and make sure the monk didn't get too beaten, however Inuyasha insisted that if he left, then that would guaranty Miroku's death.

Kagome just sighed and shrugged her shoulders, paying no mind to the yelping Miroku in the background.

Shippou on the other hand just smiled innocently, 'I told you, you were going to get yours someday.'

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**A/N Short, I know. Next chapter though, I promise that the story will move on! I swear it!! Please review! R&R**


	11. Word of War

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Woo! Another chapter! Enjoy!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 11. Word of War**

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"_I'm sorry, but I…I don't share the same feelings… I…"_

_"Y-you… You told me that you enjoyed my company.. You told me that we would be together... We can finally destroy it… and you refuse to? You… You disgusting wretch! Get out of my sight you vial half breed monster!" She shrieked, grabbing the nearest object, which happened to be a clay cup, and throwing it violently at him. "I'll rid this world of you and the rest of your filthy deceiving kind.. You will all perish!"_

_"You will all perish!…"_

_"All perish.."_

_"..Perish.."_

_"..Perish you filthy half breed monster!"_

-X-

Golden eyes had snapped open in pure fear as Inuyasha jerked himself awake. Beads of sweat rolled down the side of his face as he took in his surroundings quickly. Remembering that he was safely under Kagome's protection, he had calmed himself and steadied his breathing and rapid heartbeat. Shortly after settling down, he had resumed leaning against the wooden wall of Kagome's room. Staring through the darkness with ease, the hanyou had no problem successfully locating the slumbering miko just a little ways away from him.

'What… Was that? That dream was so… _Real_…'

_'Our memory. My memory. Kikyo's out there annihilating the remaining population of hanyou's because of me.'_

'Oh, so you're back now?' The small hanyou thought.

_'Only temporarily brat.. I needed you to remember why she hates m—us so much.'  
_  
'You led her on… Something the lech would do… And then told her you didn't love her. Some great guy I turn out to be.' The eleven year old pointed out.

_'Shut up! Relationships aren't tha—tha…t ea..sy..s..hit..'_

"And he leaves again. Wow, I just can't wait to grow up and turn into a complete moron." Inuyasha muttered sarcastically, picturing his older self's face scowling at him.

It had been a few days since the incident with the wolves. Since then, Kouga had refused to leave the tiny home near the outskirts of the forest and had been keeping watch over Kagome. He still believed that she needed rest and shouldn't be moving around much, but the miko was always a stubborn one and would get up to do her daily rituals despite the wolfs requests.

She was also beginning to find her home to be a little snug with all the new guests rooming with her. She couldn't even get to her kitchen to make breakfast without tripping on someone's foot! So, a brilliant idea had struck her. Since Kouga absolutely refused to leave her, she had decided that he might as well be doing something other than lecturing her.

The wolf demon, Miroku, and even Inuyasha had begun working together to expand the house. The monk would often try to find some reason to not help out, but then he would be back at work after a few good threats and hits to the head, courtesy of Kouga.

"Iron reaver!"

"Oi! Inu brat, bring those slabs over here when you're done!" The wolf prince ordered.

Miroku huffed tiredly, setting another board next to each other. He had successfully finished the new floor of the second room while Kouga built the walls. Inuyasha was in charge of creating the perfect pieces of wood, using his claws to take away the branches and bark to create the slabs.

"My name isn't _Inu brat_, you flea bag!" Barked the hanyou in return.

Kagome had peeked up from playing with Shippou-chan, sighing lightly. 'And so it begins. Here I thought they could restart their relationship and become good friends. I suppose it wasn't meant to be.'

"Kagome! Look! I bet I can help too! My magic tops could cut down some trees!" Shippou piped, opening his small hands to show her his toys and emphasize his idea. He didn't see her reacting immediately and stared at her momentarily, noting that she seemed to have a distant look on her face. 'I wonder what she's thinking about?'

"_Come on mutt face! Is that all you've got? Huh puppy?!"_

_"Shut your face you worthless flea bag!" Inuyasha howled back, cracking his knuckles loudly. He wiped the blood away from his mouth and grinned darkly while circling the wolf._

_"Stop fighting! Please! Inu-kun please, can't we just all be friends?"_

_"No way! This baka thinks that you belong to him!"_

_"She does! I placed claims on her first! So I get to be with her!" Kouga argued._

_"Kagome ain't some trophy woman you idiot! And if you can't get that through your stupid thick head, then I'll force it through!" Inuyasha took that moment to leap at him, claws brandished as he swiped at the ookami at full force. His claws had just barely nicked the surface of Kouga's cheeks, leaving three marks of blood._

_Kagome pouted slightly, digging the heel of her sandal into the dirt in frustration. She could hear her mentor approaching and immediately felt a little bit at ease. They were all on the outskirts of the village, the forest not very far from them. She knew that the villagers never liked having the two demons in the village at the same time because of their loud bickering and tendencies to fight. So naturally they would always relocate and sit outside the village. Her mentor always seemed to have a knack for finding her too._

_"Are they fighting again Kagome-sama? I was led to believe that they had become friends." Kikyo sighed dramatically._

_"Kikyo-chan, they are friends! They just argue a little bit.. It doesn't mean they don't like each other, just that they don't agree on everything." Kagome replied, tucking her arms into her white sleeves._

_"Wise words for a child so small," Kikyo remarked._

_"You aren't that big either Kikyo-chan." Kagome giggled, instantly loosing her smile when she finally heard the loser howl in pain. It was strange, no matter how much the full demon boasted, he always seemed to be the loser in the fights. The little priestess would always be the one to separate the two after their little match was settled. She would heal Kouga-kun first and watch him leave in a swirl of wind, and then she would have to deal with a very angry hanyou._

_"Why do you do that? He doesn't deserve your kindness." Inuyasha scowled, pinning his ears to his head in anger. He was crouched down in the dirt, glaring at some object in the distance while letting low growls rumble through his chest._

_Kagome shook her head and crouched down next to him, "Inu-kun, he doesn't have a bad heart. And he doesn't hurt anyone. He's my friend and that's why I heal him." She touched gently the hanyou left wrist, warm pink light engulfed his whole arm, healing every injury on the limb._

_"K-keh, you don't have to heal me.. I'll heal in a few hours," He blushed shyly, scooting away from her slightly._

_Kagome pulled away in confusion, cocking her head to the side. She turned and glanced at Kikyo for some form of help, but only got a strange dark look of disapproval from her before she had turned and left._

'That was.. When he was ten ... So that make's me eight at the time…' The priestess thought in amusement, sighing a bit when she heard the distinct crackling noise of knuckles being cracked. "Shippou-chan, stay here," She patted his head and immediately went to stop a fight from breaking out. She could understand Inuyasha picking fights, he was only a child, but Kouga? He was a grown man for heavens sake!

However, before she even had the time to separate them, she had felt her barrier flicker. Whoever had entered the forest had done so through the air and would be arriving shortly at her half remodelled home.

"Kagome-san? Is something the matter?" Miroku asked in concern, earning the demon's attention as he approached her seemingly innocently.

"Touch me, and you will not only loose your hand but possibly your life." Kagome warned, smiling far too brightly at him.

The wind gently brushed past them, causing the trees to shimmer lively and provide the only noise. It was very award for the monk and he had cautiously taken a step back, swallowing loudly, "I-I never thought you to be a cruel woman Kagome-san."

She giggled in returned, "No Miroku-san, I would never do such a thing. My friend however, is another story. She can be rather violent when a man touches her inappropriately and she has always been very protective of me."

The hanyou was the first to speak up, growls forming in his throat as his nose had picked up signs of a new scent approaching. "There's someone coming."

Echoing roars filled the area as a large beastly looking demon trotted into view from the sky. Red hot flames adorned its brown paws as it swooped down and landed softly onto the ground next to a very skittish Kitsune that had scurried away in fright toward the other males. Her red eyes blinked curiously at her surroundings and she sniffed the air intently, trying her best to recognize the scents.

"Easy Kirara, Kagome-chan wouldn't have strangers here." A soft voice cooed from the large cat demon's back. Long slender black legs had unfortunately caught the attention of the lecherous monk whom had graciously gone to help the woman off the neko.

"Allow me to be of assistance, beautiful.." He held out his hand to her, taking in her beauty. She had flowing long brown hair tucked into a high ponytail, the most gorgeous eye's he had ever seen and an outfit to die for. It hugged all her curves perfectly and he was more than tempted to hug those curves with his hands… Strange, a fist seemed to be coming towards his face--

_SMASH_

"Pervert! How dare you touch my backside!" She shouted hotly, "I aught to do more than just hit you!" She had jumped off her neko friend, placing both hands on her hips in annoyance and anger as she shot glares at the still day dreaming monk on the ground.

"I'm afraid it will take a few moments before he snaps out of his day dreams Sango-san." Kagome informed, sniggering a bit at the older woman.

"Eh? Kagome-chan! How could you let such a hentai stay with you? Has he touched you as well? Please tell me he hasn't." Sango asked, her concern for her friend very noticeable.

"I wouldn't worry Sango-chan, I have Inuyasha and Kouga already protecting me from him." She reassured her, walking to her friend and hugging her tightly. She had also patted Kirara's head gently, not forgetting the powerful neko. "Miroku-san is the least of our worries.. You look very tired, do you want to go to the hot springs to get cleaned up? Then I can start on our supper and—"

"Kagome-chan! Please, we'll settle that later. First I have an important message." Sango interrupted.

"A-a message?" The miko asked in shock.

"Yes! My village received a message from one of our slayers. He says that two dark priestesses have formed an alliance with a dark lord. They are planning to lead an army of demons here to kill you and take the jewel." Sango informed.

'Two dark priestesses?' Inuyasha thought in shock, his fingers twitching lightly as he stared down at the ground in worry, 'It has to be.. Kikyo.. and that woman.. with white hair..' He flattened his ears and growled shifting his attention to the demon slayer woman to continue listening in.

"When will this army strike?" Kagome asked in a tone that Inuyasha could hardly recognize. It was as if her whole personality had changed in that split second Sango had mentioned the jewel.

"Within the month Miko-sama. The youkai army grows larger everyday. My village is preparing for the attack, all able slayers will be here as soon as possible."

"No, keep your village safe Sango-san. If this army is as large as you claim, then your army will not stand a chance. They will fall."

"Miko-sama, we are all able soldiers, we can battle—"

"I said no." Kagome replied coolly, "Far too many will be sacrificed. I will not allow your family to be so easily slaughtered. They are only human Sango-san. I cannot ask you all to do this. I—"

"Kagome-chan, this isn't just about you! The Shikon no Tama must be kept out of the hands of demons and those with wicked hearts. My village exists solely for the purpose to kill demons and protect the jewel much like you. We were created to aid the Legendary Priestess. And now, we will do what we have been preparing for, for centuries. I refuse to let another Legendary Priestess, my best friend, fall at the hands of dark miko's and lord's." The demon slayer held a firm gaze with the priestess, her eye's never wavering with doubt or fear.

To the others watching from the sidelines, this moment seemed very unreal. None of the males knew her, this woman came bearing news of war, and apparently she's best friends with Kagome. Though Kagome never spoke to them about Sango or her flying demon companion—'I'm not jealous! I'm anything but jealous… There's some sort of war that's going to happen, and I'm worried about it. I'm not jealous of some woman that claims to be Gome-chan's best friend.' Inuyasha mentally cooed himself, though his twisted face did not go unnoticed by the young Kitsune.

"You know, Kagome probably likes you more than Sango." Shippou offered awkwardly, trying his best to help Inuyasha rather than angering him. For the Kitsune knew first hand how bad Inuyasha's temper could get, and how violent he could be towards the one's causing him such displeasure.

Kouga on the other, didn't give a rat's ass about Inuyasha's delicate mental balance.. "As if kid! I know a thing about women, and that's when they make very good friends with other women, they are practically inseparable and they end up having a stronger bond then that of a man and a woman. In a friendship sort of way…"

The orange haired boy felt his eye twitch slightly in annoyance, "thanks Kouga." He muttered dryly, "You're a great help."

"What I don't understand now, is why Kagome is speaking so formally. It's as if she were some kind of soldier. Even other priestesses that I've encountered have never been so formal." Miroku decided to add, having miraculously recovered from Sango's brute blow to the face. He had also somehow managed to crawl over to the male side of the grounds without being detected by anyone… A tactic used no doubt to flee from clingy women…

"Hey, when did you get here pervert?" Kouga asked, crossing his well-toned arms in slight confusion, "Last I saw, you were out for the count."

Miroku laughed sheepishly, swallowing the lump in his throat, "I um, that my friend is of no importance…"

Inuyasha turned to the grown men in slight annoyance, growling at them to quiet down so he could listen in on the other conversation. It was enough that he could hardly block out the sounds of the trees dancing in the wind, but the idiots behind him? They just wouldn't quiet down and it wasn't like Kagome was talking all that loudly either. Though, she did look very serious and her body was clearly tensed.

"I accept your offer of soldiers Taijiya-san in order to protect the Shikon no Tama from falling into the wrong hands." It was strained, but his ears never lied. She was going to have demon slayers come to this place, a war is on its way, and Kikyo is apparently playing an important role in this.

"Thank you very much, Kagome-chan." Sango relaxed some, a warm smile playing at her lips in joy.

However Kagome still had a hard time approving of this, she knew that her friend was right. The Shikon mattered most and her village was formed in order to help protect it, "We begin planning for these events as of now." Kagome stated firmly, waving over the boys to come join them.

She would need to take into account every form of resource she could to pull this off…

But she did have a plan.

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**A/N I'm cutting it off here. I hope this chapter is good for you guys! As always, I am late with da updates. I know, I am soooo lazy haha. Well R&R please!**

**Inu: Ya know, I haven't seen the pervert in awhile, what happened to him?**

**San: Oh? Last I saw, he was swimming with the sharks. I guess he hasn't come back yet..**

**Kag: Sango-chan, you wouldn't have had anything to do with that now would you?**

**San: -looks innocent- No! Of course not.**

**Inu: What'd he do to you? Grab your butt? Cuz he always does that.**

**San: For your information he had done something far worse!**

**Kag: …**

**San: My clothes and all of my underwear have gone missing.**

**Kag: That's because I'm doing laundry today.**

**San: Oh.**

**Inu: -shrugs- He'll live.**

**Moi: Haha R&R**


	12. The Five Protective Kings

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Been forever eh? Well I guarantee this to be a very good chapter. I enjoyed writing it and I can't wait to post up the next one. Well, enjoy!!**

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Forest of Purity

**Chapter 12. Five Protective Kings**

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The gods must really despise him. After all the things he had done for his masters, and this is what he gets repaid with? A suicide mission? Really? He just couldn't believe it, and knew that either way he looked at this it ended bad for him. He would either have his hide squished and he would die, or he would miraculously reanimate and be continuously tortured to death by his loving Master's Son's.

On the up side, he had good ol' Totosai that would never think of abandoning him or hurting him in any way. Yes, he, Totosai and even Housenki made the best of friends and as a bonus all served under the Great Lord InuTaishou. However now, the situation had changed for the worst. His Great Lord was gone and he was left in charge of the young Master Inuyasha and of course the ever so kind (note the sarcasm..) Lord Sesshoumaru.

Speaking of Sesshoumaru-sama, he could now see the powerful youkai not too far ahead. His blood seemed almost to be calling him, but he knew not to approach him like he would Master Inuyasha. Unlike the hanyou, Sesshoumaru-sama's poison whip was much more lethal than Inuyasha's claws. Not to mention his aim was most impeccable and he would surely be sliced in half even if he was the tinniest target known to mankind.

"Myou… Sesshoumaru-samaaa!" Myoga called as he bounced up into the air once more, landing on the small green servant that seemed to think highly of himself. He squeaked as the green toad tried to smack him away and had leapt off of his hat and landed cautiously on Sesshoumaru's spiked armour. For a moment he had stared at the small human girl that followed after the Lord, not having noticed her up until now. Shaking his head he had bowed courteously in front of his Lord, not even earning a glance from is glorious golden eyes.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I come to you bearing news of your brother and a Miko," Myoga informed in a pleading voice.

Sesshoumaru had ceased his movements, feeling Jaken stumble into his leg in shock. He sighed hearing the bumbling pleads of mercy and forgiveness from the toad before he began to blame Rin for pushing him. Brushing off the nonsense, he had spoken, "No news of my insolent brother is worth my time, flea."

"O-onegai Sesshoumaru-sama, the younger brother is in danger of being killed by the dark youkai Naraku, myou…" Myoga cried, tears flowing from his eyes freely, "What would I do without him? His blood is so very good and your father would be so very—"

"Silence." Sesshoumaru briskly ordered, glaring ahead at the peaceful scenery of his lands, "Naraku?" He questioned, earning several nods from the small flea located on his armour, "I find this to be very… Interesting.." He closed his eyes for a moment in thought, than had begun to trek once more through the lands in a different direction.

"M-milord! W-we aren't truly going back to the castle, ar-are we?!" Jaken sputtered incredulously.

"I won't answer a foolish question, Jaken." Sesshoumaru said, his lip twitching as he heard Rin giggle at the face Jaken had made.

"A-aye milord!"

-X-

Though she was blessed with a great amount of power, she had yet to harness it properly. Thanks to the training techniques of her previous mentor, Kikyo-chan, she had developed a fair amount of her powers, but not nearly as much as she truly had. She could literally feel the thick presence of purity that ran through her veins but could not for the life of her control it. So she did the next best thing to help with her abilities, something she dreaded but knew would help her a great deal, meditation.

While the boys concentrated on quickly closing off her house in the distance and sealing the new rooms, she sat up on a large boulder next to the river they usually gathered their water from. It was the ideal place for concentration and it was always the place she turned to if she needed to relax a bit.

'It's there.. The power from generations before me..'

_'Think of the elements.. Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth.'_ An Image of a young Kikyo came to mind, _'Feel them, and embrace them.' _

The gentle breeze of a cool day had kissed the skin of her cheek as it blew past her, causing the trees to shimmer with life. She could feel it, and its reaction to the magic that was in her blood, in her very being. 'Please lend me you strength, please help me protect the one's I care most for… I call upon you to fight by my side, Seiryuu God Beast to the East, influencer of wood!' She thought, suddenly feeling the burning white-hot power within her come to life in a flash.

Opening her eye's she had stared down at her hands, noting that her body seemed to be glowing in addition to the light from the sun. Without wasting time she had made a quick hand motion, an almost automatic response to the power and called out, "Wood release: Binding dragon!"

A glowing symbol of wood had formed before her and with it came large amounts of strange aura's that were released. A loud shriek had alerted her of the presence of Seiryuu-sama, the wooden dragon had emerged from the symbol and attacked the nearest object she could concentrate on, which happened to be none other than a poor defenceless tree due to her lack of proper opponent.

The wooden dragon had done what its user had wanted and twisted itself around several trees, crushing them together to merge them into one with the help of it's own power. It had shriek one last time before the glowing symbol ahead of Kagome had diminished and with it the attack ended with the dragon dissipating before she could finish her work.

"_Kagome_!"

'I…I can't believe… I just.. I just…' She thought in shock, staring at her hands once more to see that they were not glowing. 'I…' Her eyelids fell slightly as she suddenly began to feel drowsy. 'B-but I'm not..'

"_Kagome-san_!"

She had fallen back on her boulder unconscious, hearing the loud shouts of her approaching friends before everything went completely black.

-X-

Miroku was about to gather Kagome in his arms until he felt a very cold chill run up his spine. Frozen before her, he had turned around cautiously, sweat dropping when not only seeing Inuyasha growl and bare his fangs, but Kouga as well. Laughing sheepishly he had backed away from the passed out Kagome with his hands in the air as a form of surrender, "A-ah I swear I wasn't going to touch her--!"

"Save it," The young Inuyasha bit out. "I much rather have the flea bitten mongrel carry her than you." He said, flexing his claws warningly at the hentai monk if he dared approach Kagome again.

"Gee, thanks dog turd." Kouga muttered sarcastically, walking to Kagome and gently picking her up off the stone, "I wonder what happened here." He pondered out loud, his blue eye's scanning the surroundings for any form of enemy.

Miroku had been the one to point out the strange tree across the river first, noting that it seemed to have an odd shape to it. "It is as if something had wrapped itself around them and tried to merge them together." He said in awe, turning to the demons abruptly with glee, "Did you all hear the roar of something?"

Kouga snorted and started to return to the house, followed by the temperamental Inu and a strangely excited monk, "Yeah? What of it?"

Inuyasha shot glares at Kouga's head, mentally wanting to be grown up again just so he could kick his ass for touching Kagome. Shaking his head he had closed his eyes, stuffed his arms in his sleeves and continued down the path, "If I didn't know any better, I'd say that is sounded like a dragon. But there aren't anymore dragon demon's left in this world. My father had sealed the last beast."

Miroku nearly skipped with joy hearing their answers and hummed happily, "Oh but it was still the sound of a dragon that you heard, was it not?" The two youkai in front of him had stopped walking and turned to him. He really didn't like the glares he was getting from the hanyou so he decided to just stare at Kouga and hope that Inuyasha's temper would soon die down once they got Kagome back at her home. "Don't tell me you don't know of the elements and their spirits." He stated.

Kouga chuckled, "Oh please, as if you're implying that the dragon we heard was actually the elemental spirit that controls wood. I don't think so monk, those things don't exist."

"Elemental spirits? The hell are those? Are they dangerous?" Inuyasha asked, his anger dissipating and turning into worry for Kagome.

Miroku shook his head and walked passed everyone, taking the lead of the group. "The elemental spirits consist of five groups, Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth." He began to explain for the inu hanyou, "Each of the elements has a form of Beast that controls it. The beast that happens to control Wood is a dragon known as Seiryuu."

"Bullshit," Inuyasha hissed, finally understanding where the monk was going with this. "Gome-chan could never have summoned it, let alone controlled it."

Upon arriving at the home, a small kitsune had leapt out of nowhere with the intent of mulling Kagome. Unfortunately for him, the young Inuyasha had seen this coming and had leapt up in time to grab the kit by his tail, landing softly on the ground in seconds with a squirming Shippou in his grip. "Don't touch her runt, she's sleepin'." He snarled, dropping Shippou roughly and turning back to the overjoyed monk. He really hated how insanely happy the damn pervert was and quite honestly did not for one moment believe that Kagome had actually so called summoned this 'Seiryuu' thing.

Miroku shook his head at Inuyasha's behaviour and smiled to himself. From what he could see, the trees across the river that were half merged together seemed to be the work of the dragon spirit, though he had no proof of such a fact, he still believed it to be possible. However he decided not to rile up the hanyou anymore than he already was. It was clear to the monk that Inuyasha was quite used to being around a Kagome that made use of a bow and arrow as her defence and nothing more. Coping with change for him wasn't easy, especially when the hanyou believed that he should be the stronger of the two. This way, he could protect her from dangers instead of the other way around.

'I gather that he feels very useless at the moment. He probably wishes to aid Kagome in the battle as well.' Miroku thought to himself, watching closely as Kouga brought Kagome into the hut. He darted his eye's over to the hanyou that had entered the hut after the Ookami prince. Shrugging he had decided that he should probably get back to work, seeing as Kagome's home was almost finished anyways. Though he should work, he really didn't want to.

'I deserve a break, and I doubt they will even miss me.'

"If you're thinking of suddenly disappearing, than I wouldn't do it. Inuyasha has a really good nose you know." Were Shippou's wise words before scurrying off towards the hut.

Just as the fox kit entered, the Ookami had exited and stared straight at the monk, "Oi! Monk, get over here!"

'Of course… My break will just have to wait..'

-X-

The sounds of burning huts, blood curdling screams and choking voices filled the air. It was a town in the midst of mayhem and destruction. The smell of smoke and burning corpses to some would be known as tainted air, but to him it was the smell of a damn good day. Well, a very good evening anyways, since the sun had set over and hour ago.

He continued his steps up to the shrine, not paying the slightest attention to the turmoil that was happening just behind him to his very own village that he supposedly ruled. Taking the image of the prince had been a simple task, and he rather enjoyed this semi newly acquired face. But the time to play games was well over and he had decided to obtain what he had originally come for.

Reaching the final step he had grinned at the fearful monks and priestesses that were guarding the holy grounds. The amount of spiritual power they carried would hardly do any drastic damage to his body. He was after all the final of the three strongest Youkai Lords that still remained on this earth. Though, not many of the humans knew it, and he doubted that the two tainted miko's that approached him knew of it either. He kept the secret well hidden and had changed his appearance a great deal. Though he had kept his name from centuries ago, he honestly didn't think that anyone would remember him.

Looking now on the powerless humans before him he chuckled, cracking his knuckles, "Tell me where the sword is hidden and I might spare some of your lives." Naraku spoke, his dark locks blowing behind him in soft waves.

To them, he looked like a devil. His stance was solid, his eye's a bloody red, and the background of his form was glowing with bright orange and red colour from the fires. He looked positively demonic and they knew that he aura that surrounded his body was nothing but demonic. He had to be the son of the devil himself to carry such a foul aura.

"M-milord! Why do you betray us?!" Asked one of the monks in fright.

"Silence Kenji! Can't you see it? That is not our lord! He merely has his face!" Yelled one of the braver priestesses, "Ready all bows! Take aim!"

Rolling his ruby red eye's he had shaken his head, "Tell me where it is, and I won't kill you. Resisting is most definitely futile." Naraku muttered boredly, but chuckled nonetheless when they continued to prepare they're weapons. When the first bolt was fired at him, he had decided that he much rather search the grounds himself than go through the trouble of forcing them to comply with him. So naturally he had moved out of the way of the bolt with ease and flown right at them.

His speed was phenomenal compared to the slow pace the humans moved at. In merely moments the whole group of so called 'shrine guardians' had fallen. He shook his right hand slightly to help remove some of the blood, not enjoying the minor burning that it did to his skin. "Disgusting, miko and houshi blood.. It is so unnaturally pure.." He again muttered, wiping the remainder of the blood on his navy hakama. Glancing up at the large shrine, he could see now that the search wouldn't be that difficult.

Like he had thought, it hadn't taken him long to find the sealed sword. Still, the box was covered in sutras that even he couldn't break. They must had been done by the Legendary Priestess herself after InuTaishou had died. 'That old fool, falling for a human wench. The only thing they're good for is pleasure.' He thought as he left the building that had soon been put to fire. He had effortlessly broke into a run that was so fast a demon would even have a hard time keeping up.

It wasn't long before he found the two dark miko's on the outskirts of the village, watching as it burned away. He had stopped before them and given the box to Kikyo, "I need you to open this, miko-sama."

"Is this the purpose behind the needless massacre you laid upon this village?" She asked bitterly, staring down at the sealed box in her hands.

"No," He merely answered, giving her one of the most frightful looks she had seen in years. "I did it for entertainment." He turned to the burning homes and laughed as his demon army continued to tear it to pieces.

Glaring at him briefly she had turned down to the box and torn off the sutras in a flash of blue sparks. She didn't like this youkai for a single moment, but she had to admit, it felt nice to do whatever she felt like. Not needing to take care of anyone but herself, not taking orders from elders or wasting her time healing those who would die anyways. She didn't mind a lifestyle like this.. The only problem was that she hardly believed in slaying innocent humans for nothing but pleasure.

Hanyou's on the other hand, was a different story. She enjoyed purifying those mongrels without any remorse and vowed that all hanyou's would be destroyed by her hands. The monsters hardly deserved to live, 'And once I have them all destroyed, I will rid this world of you, Naraku.' She thought as she handed him the box.

"Ah yes," He had lifted the lid and taken the sheathed blade in his right hand. A pure black aura emitted from his blade and he watched as it withered away due to his overpowering aura and had placed it in his waistband comfortably.

"We are together at last, Sounga."

-X-

It wasn't even sunrise yet and Kagome had emerged from the hut. She had woken up sometime in the night not realizing that she had passed out from exhaustion until Inuyasha had told her. Of course the boy was always half awake and half asleep when it came to nights, so it didn't surprise her much when he spoke to her first while the others still slept.

What had surprised her when she had stepped out of her hut was seeing said hanyou a few feet away dressed in his fur of the fire rat Haorie and Hakamas. Not only was he dressed in his usual clothing, but he had also found the Tessaiga. 'Naturally, seeing as I had placed everything in one spot.' She thought to herself as she approached the hanyou-in-training.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing with your things? You can hardly fit in those let alone think of fighting in them." Kagome told him, suppressing a small giggle when he had turned to her in the over sized clothes. They were just so big on him, and she just found it to be so adorable.

"Keh! I'll be strong enough soon. Once I get my memories back and I grow up, I can protect you." The child stated, feeling the Tessaiga pulse within his grasp and turn suddenly into an oversized fang.

She knew that he didn't mean it in the way that she had wanted him to. When he said those words, she really wanted to believe that they were.. they were from his heart.. that it meant.. something more than just a friendly promise. But this child clearly didn't mean it in the way she wanted it. When he had transformed the sword, it had been the last straw. Just seeing how huge it was compared to him had made her burst into a fit of giggles, making her suddenly forget her saddened thoughts if only for a moment.

"H-hey! Wh-what are you laughing at Gome-chan!" He growled, leaning the sword on the ground since it felt a little too heavy.

She had silenced her giggles and shaken her head, kneeling down to his eye level. Her sparkling eyes still held laughter from watching him struggled with his clothes and weapon, but she knew she had to be serious for a moment, "Now Inuyasha, you know that I won't allow you to fight—"

"I don't think so." He bit in, "I ain't just sittin' back and watchin' you die Kagome."

For a moment, she had imagined that it was his deep velvety voice that argued with her, but knew that it was only the high pitch voice of a young boy. "You aren't going to fight unless the spell is broken. You will stay with Kouga and you will help protect the women and children of his tribe. That is my final—"

"Shut up! I am not one of your soldiers, or under some stupid contract of this barrier. I am a friend and I am not going to stand by and watch you die when I know that I can be there to prevent it." Inuyasha barked, his amber eye's showing nothing but determination and promise behind his words. It also didn't help that with this sudden burst of determination to protect her that his body had glowed and he had grown once again.

Unfortunately he had gotten tall enough to fit a bit better into his clothes. This had saddened her momentarily since he lost that innocent cuteness that just naturally came with the baggy clothes and his adorable fuzzy ears. Now he looked more like a thirteen or fourteen year old. And with that age came more of his temperamental ways and not to mention he was now able to lift the Tessaiga without any trouble.

"I know what you're thinking, and just because this happened doesn't mean my decision is any different." Kagome warned, standing back up to her full height. He was just about a foot away from being her height, which was alarming since he was much shorter a few seconds ago. 'I really don't like these growth spurts he's been going through….' She thought bitterly.

"Say what you want, but no matter what, I will be fighting when this war comes. I won't just sit back and watch them kill you." Inuyasha vowed, leaping away from her before she could get in another word.

She really was furious with him, but she knew that now was not the time to argue. Right now was the time to prepare and she really needed to use all the time given to her wisely. She had marched away from her spot, the exact opposite way from where the Inu hanyou had bounded off. She needed to relax herself a bit, and nothing but meditation could do that, unfortunately. 'I also need to stop thinking about the older Inuyasha, and how much I miss him. It's distractions like that that will have me killed.' She thought as she looked forward.

A pair of curious emerald eyes had watched the two leave in separate directions from his spot in the hut. Shaking his head he had huffed and turned back into the home to continue resting.

'Those two just don't know the meaning of silence when it comes to the morning…' Shippou thought drowsily as he snuggled back into his small bed.

'Good riddance to them..'

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**A/N I had fun writing this chapter. I guess you guys can see that I'm making Naraku much stronger in this fanfict than in the series. He really is a badass and it was kinda cool writing from his perspective… Anywho, R&R eh?**

**Inu: It's comin'**

**Jak: Armour fittings! Anyone need armour fittings?!!!!!**

**Mir: Inuyasha does!! –snickers-..**

**Inu: Eh? A-ack!**

**Jak: Oh my dear! We need to size you and I know the perfect pink armour that will just bring out your eyes---!**

**Inu: G-get away from me! –run's-**

**Kou: So uh.. How much for the pink armour?**

**Moi: Haha! I never knew pink was your colour Kouga-kun! R&R!!**


	13. The Four Heavenly Guardians

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N: Talk about a fast update, eh? I hope you guys like this chapter and it makes up for some past tardiness with my updating. And a BIG thanks to all you WONDERFUL reviewers! Really, you guys make me happy. Oh and by the way _Summer in the Spring_, I wrote down his age in the first paragraph just for you lols. Now then, on with that show! YAY!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 13. The Four Heavenly Guardians**

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"Oh, I so deserve this.." Moaned a very exhausted miko as she sunk further into the hot spring water. She listened intently to Shippou's giggles as he played in the water with his little toys, splashing her often by accident while he had his fun. Inuyasha was no longer allowed to join in on the baths since he was fairly older now, around fourteen years of age.

She hadn't even been around him when he was that age. She wasn't able to because at the time she had already begun her duties as a Legendary Miko of The Forest of Purity. Several monks and her parent's had basically dragged her there when she was only eleven years old. Apparently, they believed that she was ready to take on the responsibilities of a priestess even though she was still very young. In her opinion they just wanted to get rid of her and all the problems the Sacred Jewel brought along with her.

-X-

_"She's too young, leave her alone!" He argued with the cold priestess, baring his claws at her._

_"This is her destiny."_

_"No! I won't let you take her away, Iron reaver—" He lifted his hands but had ceased his movements when a sharp cry had alerted him that she was in danger._

_"Inu-yashaaaa!"_

_His ears twitched and he turned around in time to see the monks forcefully pull her away from where he had hidden her, "Kago—!" He felt a slight shock to his system before everything had gone black. He had passed out on the ground in the middle of the streets of the village they resided in, smoke lifting from his back with a searing noise._

_Kikyo stood behind him, her eye's staring down at him with not a flicker of emotion or any signs of regret. Glancing back up she had seen Kagome's horrified face until she was completely out of the village and her sight for good._

-X-

She had cried for several days after she was abandoned in the Forest with nothing but a small hut for shelter. She hadn't even met up with Kouga-kun again until a couple years later when he had happened to pass through. He had explained to her how his lands were being invaded by several demons and how many of his tribe had already been killed.

He didn't say the cause of the sudden attacks because he didn't know it himself, but he vowed that he would avenge the dead and protect what was left of his tribe with his life. That was the very moment the pact was made between him and Kagome. She would keep him safe for several years to come as long as he stayed under her barrier. However he wouldn't have the privileged of leaving, he would be trapped with her until his pact of fifty years of protection would come to an end.

He had agreed, and the Ookami tribe had moved into the southern parts of the forest within a month.

Her eye's a fluttered open momentarily as she registered a small disturbance as she reminisced during her relaxing bath. She really wasn't feeling up to leaving the hot spring and instead left whatever guest to be dealt by the boys. 'They can handle themselves for a while..' She mentally whispered, sinking further into the hot water with satisfaction.

-X-

Grunting, he had leapt up into the air and swung his large weapon at the airborne Ookami, just barely missing him. But he wasn't done just yet. With a twitch of a silver dog ear, he had sensed that Kouga had managed to get behind him. In a single swift move he had whipped around, grinning at his surprised face before he decked him good, sending him crashing into the dirt face first while he landed gently on the ground.

"Why you…" He heard the wolf mutter angrily, listening as he had increased his speed once again to try and attack him by surprise once more.

Blocking the wolfs attempt of a kick from his right, he had growled and rolled his eyes, "That move of yer's didn't work last time, what makes you think it'll work this time ya idiot flea bitten wolf!" Inuyasha bluntly insulted, shoving the wolf away, taking a crack at using his sword against him again.

"Ha!" Kouga grinned, leaping back. "You just wait mutt face, I'll get you yet..!" He had disappeared in a whirlwind of dirt.

The half demon snorted, darting his eyes all over the area. He could vaguely sense the ookami bounding off a tree to land on another just behind him, 'Is the idiot honestly going to try that again? Ha! I'll show him..' He thought smugly, feeling the wolfs youki suddenly coming from in front of him. He sheathed his sword quickly and pulled back a fist, ready to punch the daylights out of him as he shimmered to life before the hanyou.

As the fist came flying at Kouga, the wolf had cleverly tilted back his head and dodged it, planting his hands on the ground to use as leverage as he kicked the hanyou in his side. He had chuckled when the poor silver haired fool had gone flying into a tree truck. Now standing and patting off the dirt from his fur, he had barely managed to dodge what looked like five blades of light coming at him. "Holy mother of—" He cursed leaping away, his fur standing on end.

"You should know better than to think that this is over, wolf." Inuyasha stood from the bottom of the trunk, and cracked his back slightly. 'I gotta admit though, that was a good hit…' He thought, and then flexed his claws, cracking his knuckles in the process.

"Heh, yeah well those blades of yours were hardly close enough to hit me." Kouga sneered haughtily.

"_I don't know, by my count they seemed pretty close to their target. Wouldn't you agree?"_ A voice spoke up from the depths of the forest, the shadows growing closer.

Inuyasha had leapt away, growling at the newcomers and they strange scents.

_"I guess, but I would have actually hit the idiot! I don't ever miss my targets.."_ Muttered a harsh voice.

"Oh hush, I would rather ye not begin any unnecessary fighting amongst ye selves." And older voice scorned them, leading the group out of the forest to reveal themselves. She had recognized Kouga first and nodded towards him, however she had frowned when her eye's landed on Inuyasha's smaller form. "Are ye the boy Inuyasha? I remember ye as a much older lad." Questioned the old woman who appeared to be a miko, judging by her white and red clothes.

Inuyasha growled, placing a hand on his Tessaiga, "I don't know any old hags." Instantly he had received a fist in the head, courtesy of the taller Kouga. "Ai-aie! Hey! What the hell was that for?!" He barked.

Glaring his cold blue eye's down at the hanyou he barked back just as fiercely, "That's for insulting the great Kaede-baba you fool! She took you in and protected you when Kagome couldn't!"

"Keh!" He crossed his arms, "If that's true, then why the hell am I like this!? Obviously her protection wasn't all that good!"

Kaede huffed, "I see, a dark spell has been cast over ye. I was told of it, but I had my doubts about the old flea… When ye was much older, ye had decided to leave my protection to be with ye love, Kikyo." She shook her head, "I knew yer relationship would not last… Ah, but that is in the past now.."

"Oh my.. Aren't you going to introduce us Lady Kaede? That man over there… He's tall, dark and handsome!" Giggled one of the newcomers, sending Kouga a lustful glance.

Kouga had inched away, his fur standing on end from just that look that was sent to him.

Coughing loudly, Kaede had apologized to Kouga and then introduced everyone to the newcomers, "Word was sent out by the flea demon to gather help for the war against the dark Lord now known as Naraku. Though old Myoga said that he only thought it was an evil human lord, I didn't think so. I believe that he is truly the youkai Lord Naraku, one of the three greatest youkai of these lands. That is why I come here with the help of these soldiers from what used to be called the Shichinintai."

"Shichinintai? But I thought you were all killed off!" Kouga replied, still keeping his guard up on high.

What looked like the leader of the group had spoken up, his dark and long braided hair blowing behind him as the wind picked up slightly, "I am Bankotsu, Leader of the Group of Seven. True, some of us were killed. Three to be exact, but the rest of us are still capable of fighting, especially against Naraku. My lieutenant is none other than Jakotsu," He motioned towards the bouncing man sending winks at Kouga, "followed by Renkotsu a master of fire, and Suikotsu a master of blades." He introduced.

The men that were standing before Kouga and Inuyasha looked like full blown warriors, dressed in various armours and carrying strange weapons. It was mostly the large sword that Bankotsu seemed to carry effortlessly that got Inuyasha wondering just how strong this guy really was. Jakotsu was a man with short dark hair, and blue stripe tattoos below his eyes and what looked like a blade was strapped to his back. Renkotsu didn't seem to be carrying any large blades like the other two but a bottle at his waist instead. He also wore a scarf on his head and had purple stripes below his eyes. Finally, there was Suikotsu. Though the man seemed to give off a strange dark aura, it was obvious that his heart was in the right place seeing as he was let into the barrier. His clothes were like the others, a lot of armour, some gloves with five long blades attached to them, and green stripes all over his face.

Kaede nodded, "Well now that all of ye know each other, shall we wait inside until Kagome is to return?" She suggested, eying the surprisingly small hut. "Nay, this is not the home the Great Miko lives in, is it?" She asked, completely horrified by the size.

"Yeah, it's Kagome's house. What's wrong with it, hag?" Inuyasha challenged.

Before anyone jumped to beat the crap out of the hanyou for bad mouthing the baba, she had instead tisked him, "Ye best be polite to ye elders, boy. I don't stand for ignorance, nor does Totosai. Ye best hold yer tongue or be hit in the head as punishment." She told him, motioning for the men behind her to follow as she walked towards the hut.

"Wow," Kouga huffed, "Kagome wasn't kidding when she said she had a plan."

"You're telling me.." Inuyasha muttered under his breath, a scowl permanently resting on his face.

-X-

She had only set one foot into her home before someone was at her side, demanding to know why a bunch of creepy looking soldiers were staying with them until the war was over. Kagome had blinked down at the boiling hanyou before peering up at some familiar faces, smiling brightly as she finally noticed the one she was looking for. "Kaede-baba, it's been so long." She had patted Inuyasha's head and walked passed him, hugging the old woman softly.

"Aye child, it has been a long time.. However before we speak more… We must extend this poor place ye call yer home. It is too small to hold all ye allies." Kaede told her.

"Extend it? We already added two new rooms and it still isn't big enough." Kagome told the old woman.

Shaking her head she had ushered out all of the occupants, even the monk they had all just met as they had entered the hut. Once all beings were outside the home, including Kagome and herself she had motioned for Kagome to do as she said. "Ye have been trained for the element arts, yes?"

"W-well.. I have been. I'm still a bit rusty since I hadn't really used them or even my blade in a long time…" Her voice faded off into uncertainty.

Kaede waved it off, "Ye are well enough prepared to use the elements, I am sure. Now prepare ye self. Call upon Seiryuu-sama to do yer biding."

"E-eh? You m-mean—" She stuttered.

"Ye should talk less and concentrate more," Kaede hushed.

Swallowing hard Kagome had nodded, ignoring the eye's that were all watching her and instead focused on what was ahead of her. Her worn out, beaten little hut. Even with the extensions it looked pretty pathetic, so she had done what Kaede had told her to do. She had made a hand motion and called forth her powers, feeling the burning strength bubble through her veins.

A green symbol representing wood had materialized in front of her, unexplainable winds blowing her hair side to side and ruffling her green miko pants. For a moment, her eye's seemed to glow from brown to blue as she concentrated on her strength, "Wood release: Traveling Fortress!" As if it were a natural movement to her, she had released the hand motion she had formed and crouched down to the ground, slamming her right hand into it.

The green symbol in front of her had glowed brightly and almost pulsed as it heard its command. Soon, the ground began to tremble and everyone was cautious as to what was to happen next. It wasn't long before wood began to pierce through the soil and grow into plank forms. Everything had happened so fast. One moment a small hut is standing before them, and the next, the hut is completely gone and replaced with a full blown gigantic fortress, close to the size of that of the western lands.

The symbol Kagome was concentrating on had diminished, leaving the surprised girl to rise and stare in awe at what she had made. She had jumped slightly when she received a pat on the back by Kaede, "I-I.."

"I would have thought that ye had done such a thing long ago.." She had told her in all honesty, "Well, now ye are prepared Kagome, to hold several guests and allies." She nodded, walking forward to go inside and inspect the grounds.

"I wonder what happened to all the trees that were there…?" Miroku half wonder.

"Obviously they got used into makin' this place!" Inuyasha replied, still a little edgy since the whole ordeal. He really wished that he was stronger now.. It looked like Kagome wouldn't need him around to protect her once the spell was broken. It was obvious that she could handle protecting herself just fine.

Said girl had walked into the home after Kaede, completely flabbergasted at the mere size of the place. Not to mention how well crafted it was, seeing as it held several rooms, a second floor, a wonderful staircase, and even windows.

"As ye should know, Seiryuu did not live in such a small home. This Fortress is said to be a replica of his very own, and has been used several times in the past by previous Legendary Miko's as a home and shelter against the dark youkai." Kaede explained, smiling when she found the young miko still in shock.

Bankotsu had whistled lowly in admiration, "Well, you know how to build 'em! This place is phenomenal."

"I would have to agree, this fortress even comes with self lighting torches.. Quite impressive." Renkotsu added as he also entered, taking a seat in the steps of the stairs.

"And the jewel?" Kagome asked Kaede.

"Ye need not worry. It is still in the place ye have left it to be protected. Kagome, you will know the way to get to it. Now then, why don't we gather some lunch for everyone?"

Kagome had gasped, "I completely forgot! I'll get right on it, and you can all chose your own rooms to stay in I'm sure." She had told them.

"Don't worry your pretty little head over it, Kagome-sama." Bankotsu grinned, "I'll take care of catching something and my boys will get the rest of lunch."

"Oh yes! I'm a fabulous cook!" Jakotsu squealed, "Just show me to the kitchen!"

"I can do that." Kaede told him, "I know this fortress very well. Come Jakotsu." She trailed down a hall on the right.

"We-well.. This is most definitely a strange day.." Kagome stuttered, 'But a good one nonetheless. I'm definitely a lot stronger than before..' She thought with a small smile.

-X-

It wasn't long before the sun had set and the forest had been plunged into darkness. Everyone, safe for the baba who had retired early, had gathered around in what looked liked a dinning room with a fire pit in the centre. Though the fortress was amazing in size and detail, the only things it lacked were pieces of furniture to make it homey.

".. And so that is why we really aren't huge fans of Naraku." Jakotsu ended his story, explaining to the group that Naraku had first hired them to do his bidding. Once they had completed their mission they were betrayed and demons were sent to kill them all. Unfortunately for the youkai lord, the demons had only been able to kill three of them. "Though, I gotta say, it is strange to continue on our lives still known as the Band of Seven. We really should fix that.." He mused, scooting closer to Kouga as discreetly as possible.

"That is a fine idea Jakotsu," Bankotsu nodded.

"Yes well, while you all think up some ideas why don't you tell us Kagome, who else you sent out for?" Miroku asked innocently.

"Ah, you just want to know when Sango comes back, don't you monk?" Kouga laughed, his hairs once again standing on end as he felt Jakotsu inch closer to him, "Gah! Damn it!" He shot up, having felt a hand brush past his butt, "Oi! Bank, keep your men in line here! I'm getting felt up by your lieutenant!" He barked, earning laughs from the entire group.

"It ain't funny!" His tail flared angrily as he took a seat very far away from the clingy lieutenant, who did nothing but moan at the loss of his cute wolf.

"How about the Band of Four?" Shippou suggested to the group.

"No offence young Kitsune, but that rather makes us sound pathetic.." Renkotsu replied.

"The Four War Demons?" Suikotsu suggested while cleaning the meat out of his teeth with his blades.

"Nah, we're hardly demons." Bankotsu muttered.

"How about the Four Nitwits." Suggested the hanyou, keeping his smug grin as he continued to listen to them bicker about names. He was sitting next to Kagome, his golden eye's almost glowing as the fire reflected into them.

"I know, why not The Four Heavenly Guardians?" Kagome suggested.

"Heavenly?" Renkotsu repeated in thought.

"Well that makes us sound really.. Good.." Jakotsu piped.

Kagome smiled, "Of course it does. For this war, I am more than happy to see you all here to help defeat Naraku. And I would be more than thrilled to make you four part of my personal guard as generals."

"What—!" Inuyasha bursted, glaring at Kagome.

Bankotsu had been taken aback by this tremendous offer, looking over his men for their own opinions. Blinking a few times he had concluded everything and turned his dark blue eye's to Kagome, "After all the crimes we've committed in the past only to earn money.. All of the humans that have been killed, you the Legendary Miko, want us the Band of Seven to be your personal guard?" He asked, to make sure that he wasn't just imagining things.

"Correct. Only pure hearts can enter my forest, and I am not doubtful of any of you. I can see you four as being my personal guard and generals for this war." She told them, "So, will you accept the offer at hand?"

Inuyasha was about to argue, and point out that she didn't need anyone to protect her but him, but was cut off by the blue-eyed man that had agreed. He was speechless and chose to instead remain silent for the rest of the evening, as Kagome had made them swear that they would serve under her, and her alone as the Four Heavenly Guardians.

Miroku sighed, "I'm glad you now have your generals for your army Kagome-san, but that still leaves my question of.. What army?"

Kagome had turned to him, "Ah well, as far as I know, Sango-chan and her village are going to be my soldiers in battle."

"Along with my pack of wolves," Kouga added sheepishly, earning a disapproving glare from Kagome. "Look, I know you don't want to, but this is Naraku we're talking about—"

"Naraku?!" Miroku bursted suddenly a little bit too loudly, "I-I'm sorry.. I just wasn't aware that the dark lord that we were fighting was Naraku himself.. I…" He stared at his sealed hand and clenched his fist, "Trust me, you will need all the help you can get. He is not to be taken lightly Kagome-san, please you must hear Kouga out."

"Thanks for the support monk." Kouga grinned back at Kagome, "See, even the hentai thinks we should join in. Besides, you know you should minimize your barrier to protect only this place. That way you save on energy." He told her.

Shaking her head, she just couldn't bring herself to break the pact and knew that it couldn't be done, unless.. An idea had formed in her head, and thus Kouga's army was to be included in the battle to protect Inuyasha and the Shikon no Tama. She just hoped that everything would work out since she couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

Though looking so far at how things were turning out for her, she couldn't help but smile and feel relieved, if only for now. Because on the bright side of things, she now knew that her messages were being sent out correctly and that hopefully soon, more guests would arrive.

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**A/N I hope you guys liked this chapter! Really, I do. And once again, R&R!**

**Jak: Ooooh! I'm in it now! I'm in the storyyyyy!**

**Kou: What happened to hitting on Inuyasha?!**

**Inu: Uh dude… I'm a kid right now… Kinda gross…**

**Jak: Yeah! Besides, I'm into nice grown men –winkwink-**

**Inu: Right, now if ya don't mind, I'll be leaving now..**

**Jak: Wha? Inu come baaaaaaaaack!**

**Kou: -Is left with Jakotsu alone- Uuuhh**

**Jak: Oh lala, so you do have feelings for me, eh babe? –sends a heart wink-**

**Kou: -dodges floating heart with his life-**

**Jak: That isn't nice!! –sends a lot of heart winks-**

**Kou: -panicks and doges a lot of floating hearts with his life- Ahhhh!!!! –One heart hits his cheek- NoOOOOOoooooo!**

**Moi: Ahaha, it is tha end of tha world for him now lols.**


	14. Dawn

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**Authors note: Wow, you know you guys are all the best right? Your reviews were so inspiring and motivated me to write this chapter. It's a bit long than the others as a sort of apology for not updating sooner. I've been pretty hooked up on drawing and Photoshop lately. If you guys feel like it, I have posted up some cute artwork on my user name is the same as my fanfiction pen name, so feel free to take a look. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll see if I can post the next one ASAP. Remember to R&R!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 14. Dawn**

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Demonic winds brushed through the dark foliage, purifying itself as soon as it came close enough to the priestess guarding the land. Her senses never failed her thus far and so she concluded that they weren't too far off from her location. Glancing back at the group of humans and demons that made camp just a few yards behind her, she half wondered if they would survive this war. She really wished for their protection during this battle and honestly wanted the better of them to stay within her fortress for their own sake.

Obviously they wouldn't.

The Ookami pack had arrived not too long ago equipped with all kinds of weapons while the women stayed inside her fortress with the children and wolves that did not care to fight. The rest that stood outside were the demon slayers tribe along with Kouga's eager pack of wolves. Her personal guard, The Heavenly Guardians, kept the peace between the two tribes along with the help of Sango, Miroku and Totosai. The last thing she needed was for a mini war to break out between her army before Naraku even set foot outside her barrier.

Speaking of which… It seemed that some of her final guests had arrived in the nick of time. She tried to her best to hide her smile as she watched Kouga freeze in mid argument with Inuyasha, his tail flaring, 'Is he really that alert when it comes to her?' Kagome thought, not missing the white blur that rushed past her vision towards said wolf.

"Sh-iiiit!" Kouga howled, feeling a violent tackle before he had a chance to get away. His body had crashed down into the grass, dragging itself as far as against the fortress and causing a fair crack in the wooden wall. "Unngnn…"

"Kouga-kuuuuun!" The red haired girl squealed with glee, "It's been soooo long!" She giggled, hugging his form even tighter.

An exasperated sigh was heard from above as a feather descended next to Kagome, a woman stepping off the object carefully, "You know, living with that woman and listening to her gawk about that moron day in and day out almost made me lose my mind." She scowled, smiling warmly at Kagome.

"I can imagine Kagura-san," Kagome smiled back timidly, "I'm glad you were able to make it. For a moment, I thought that you and Ayame-chan weren't going to show up."

Kagura shrugged, "Ayame-chan didn't want to leave without looking her best, so she had her armour shined and her fur cleaned so well that we were practically blinded by its whiteness during the travel here. On top of everything, we were only able to bring a small amount of her soldiers with us since she still needed to keep the north tribe safe from intruders." She explained, shaking her head sullenly when she heard the male ookami's shout for help to get her off of him.

"How many men were able to come?" Kagome dared to ask, watching as the white furred ookami stepped out of the forest and gathered around the other wolf tribe.

"Roughly two dozen, maybe a few more…" Kagura replied, "It's not much, but they are demons and quite capable of fighting a couple days straight if they have to."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." Kagome muttered darkly, "I want to minimize the amount of casualties as much as possible."

Kagura tilted her head in confusion, "You're not thinking of taking on that Naraku bastard on your own, are you Kagome-chan? He's too strong, even for you."

"Nonsense, I'm a lot tougher than I look Kagura-san." Kagome huffed, crossing her arms over her armour stubbornly.

The wind youkai hadn't noticed it at first, but the priestess had a much different outfit on than her usual attire. The priestess gave off a very intimidating aura as well which caused the demoness to shiver slightly with fright, "I'm surprised, you even have Kazekami on you." She mused, observing the young girl clad in armour from shoulder to waist, an off white sash clung around her waist and complemented her green miko pants while yet another off white scarf hung loosely around her neck and bellowed in the wind. Her blade, Kazekami, was weaved through her sash against her back, overall giving her that intimidating look that frightened most likely every youkai in the vicinity.

Kagome smiled and placed a hand on the handle of her blade, "It's been awhile since I've taken him out, he doesn't like being cooped up.. But I know the kind of damage he can do.. So I'd rather not use him.."

"Kagome-sama, are these the others we were waiting for?" Asked a deep masculine voice from her side.

She couldn't help but mentally giggle as she watched her friends face flush at the sight of her first Heavenly Guardian, "Hai Bankotsu-san, this is Kagura-san and the Northern wolf tribe with their princess Ayame-chan."

Bankotsu grinned at Kagura and bowed, "A pleasure to meet you, Kagura-san."

The wind demon had gathered her bearings and hardened her crimson orbs on the man, "Cheh, I don't bother to waste my breath on lowly humans such as yourself." She sneered, deciding to take her leave now and greet Sango.

He had raised a brow in question and turned to the girl he was dedicated to protect, "She is a fiery one."

"She's caught your interest, hasn't she?" Kagome smirked.

"Maybe.." Bankotsu tapped his chin in thought, "Do you think she'd hate me if I went after her?"

"Oh, more than anything. She might even try to hurt you. She and Sango are the most violent women I know.."

"I've seen how well Sango-san strikes the hentai.. If Kagura is anything like that, then I'm sure I can handle it." He chuckled, "Besides, I believe Ayame-san to be the most violent, the trail of destruction she left as she mulled Kouga is proof of it." With that said, the general had wandered off after his fiery wind youkai, not missing Kagome's snickers as he left.

-X-

Inuyasha had deserted Kouga shortly after he was brutally tackled by the female wolf, deciding that he would hang around the hentai and the taijiya for a while instead. He was pretty much invisible to them as soon as he arrived, the two never noticing his growing annoyance as they squabbled about who touched who's rear end. He wondered meekly why he still hung around this place, filled with the stench of sweating men and fleabags like Kouga. He no longer felt at home, and the fortress made some uneasy feelings from his past come to life.

He didn't know why, but the gigantic place felt familiar. Most likely because it reminded him of the western lands and his father.. Yeah, that was probably why he felt strange stepping foot inside the wooden structure.

He had soon left Sango and Miroku to wander into the forest for some peace and quiet. He knew that the battle was drawing nearer with each passing moment, even he could feel the aura that was heading their way. This meant that every other demon could feel it too, and most likely some of the humans. They would arrive very soon, sometime near daybreak, he was sure of it.

The hanyou had leapt into a tree, as high as he could get, before hopping onto another branch from a different tree, racing through the foliage. His feet dug into the bark roughly as he reached higher altitude with each leap, an odd sense of déjà vu rushing to his senses as some vague memories shimmered before his eyes.

_He breathed in deeply, clenching his teeth together and gritting them. He clutched onto his bleeding arm to stop the blood flow, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment due to the pain in his limb before opening them again. His foot had touched yet another branch and he leapt upwards, just barely dodging an arrow. His white appendages on his head had twitched backwards at the sound of a yelling voice._

"_**Inuyasha!"**_

His vision began to blur, the next branch ahead of him seeming to move away from him, his foot touching nothing but air. He blinked back, trying his best to clear his hazy vision as he plummeted from the heavens, his body feeling heavier than usual and much more difficult to control. He indistinctly felt branches break as his body struck them as he continued to drop. Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth, and his head hurt so much..

_The hanyou growled, focusing his golden orbs ahead, leaping once more. 'Damn it.. I don't know if I can do this for much longer..' He hissed when another arrow had struck him, but in his leg. He stopped briefly, only to pull the arrow out of his wound and throw it away. 'Damn her..' He growled, leaping again into another tree. 'Damn you, Kikyo.'_

'_Kikyo…'_He finally struck the ground, head first into the solid earth forming a small crater around his small body. The hanyou coughed more blood up and stared lazily up at the small holes of light that managed to get by the layers of leaves that littered the trees. His eyelids drooped, his golden orbs feeling tired suddenly, his head never ceasing to hurt. He twitched one of his ears, half listening to his surroundings and closed his eyes.

'…Kikyo…'

What was happening to him anyways? Why did these memories hurt so much..?

_'Kikyo..'_

She was the evil woman that hurt him, right?

_Another arrow had pierced his side, causing him to cough up a crimson liquid from his lips. 'N-no..' He fell to his knees, grabbing the arrow from his side and throwing it away. 'I c-can't die like this.'_

Yeah, she shot him. She shot him a lot and put this godforsaken spell on him. He did nothing to deserve this.. All he wanted.. was to find her. To find the only girl that ever cared for him despite his race. 'My head… Why is this happening.. now? Kagome… I hurt all over…' He groaned gritting his fangs together as he tried to lift his heavy body, however he had no luck.

_"You were destined to die, Inuyasha." Kikyo walked out from the darkness of the forest, readying another arrow._

'No I'm not.. I'm not destined to die, not yet..' Inuyasha mentally growled, having much difficulty remaining awake. 'Shit.. Shit… I can't just stay here.. Damnit..' His mind finally gave in to the body's demand as he slipped off into a deep slumber.

-X-

It was past nightfall, and without Jakotsu and Kaede-baba's help, all of the soldiers would be starving right about now. Except that they weren't, everyone had their fair share of a meal and so far no outrageous fights had broken out safe for the ever so constant battle between Miroku and Sango.

Glancing around the grounds, Kagome felt a small pang of worry hit her. She hadn't seen Inuyasha since he disappeared from Sango and Miroku's sight.

She observed everyone gathered around the different fire pits, laughing as if they hadn't a care in the world. She clenched her fist and found that her close friends were also laughing carelessly, none of them having noticed the hanyou's disappearance yet. No, she couldn't blame them for Inuyasha's absence. Some were probably also as worried about him as she was but they neglected to show it.

It wasn't an unusual thing for Inuyasha to be away for some time. He often liked having time to himself to do whatever that he did best. It just worried her that he hadn't come around suppertime to claim his dinner and wolf it down with the others.

"I can't find him Kagome!" Shippou bawled, scurrying up to her in tears, "I c-can't f-find Inu-Inuyasha! Th-the scents are all mixed!"

At least Shippou wasn't one to hesitate to show his worry, "Don't worry, you stay here and I'll go find him." She crouched down and patted his head, "Don't cry Kitsune-chan." She hushed, "Why don't you go find Jakotsu? He'll play games with you."

The fox kit sniffled, "I-I don't want to go play, not without that stupid Inuyasha." He blinked his watery emerald eyes up at her, stubbornly wiping them away, "Please take me with you! You'll need fire to see! I can use m-my foxfire."

She seemed to ponder about this thought, and glanced back at everyone else before sighing, "Let's go Shippou-chan." She turned to him and smiled, "We need to find him as soon as we can." With that said, the pair had left for the direction that she assumed he had taken. With one last glance back at her fortress, she had left into the forest and proceeded to search for Inuyasha.

Come to think of it, she couldn't really be angry with anyone for trying to keep the mood light. By dawn they would be fighting for their lives, for the peace of this world. Tonight, they had a right to howl with laughter, only care for themselves and their fellow comrades. No matter what, she wouldn't blame anyone if she found her hanyou injured because of their lack of notice on the boy.

She felt the fox demon quiver in fright on her shoulder while he bared his blue flame as a guide in the darkness of her forest. Kagome's feet crunched as she stepped onto dry dead leaves and broken twigs, the woman catching small glimpses of Inuyasha's aura high above her. 'He must have taken to the trees,' She thought, blinking slowly. 'Please be alright, please be asleep on a high branch somewhere.. Inuyasha..' She continued to walk in the woods, creating her own path by ushering the branches and trees out of her way with her powers.

Her glowing bluish eye's scanned the area quietly, her eyesight having improved greatly as soon as she released some of her flowing aura. She momentarily felt the fox kit on her shoulder stiffen and then relax as her aura wrapped around him and soothed him as oppose to harming him. Kagome brushed her right hand forward, shifting more greenery to the side to continue down her path, feeling a sudden pulse of Inuyasha's youki close by.

The youkai perched on her shoulder had sunk his claws into her armour, creating minuscule scratches in the metal, "I-I can smell him." He murmured, squinting his eye's and curling his nose back in disgust, "I smell sickness, and… and bl-blood!"

She didn't wait another heartbeat before she begun running ahead, the trees opening up into a very small clearing. She had launched herself towards the unconscious hanyou, the Kitsune on her shoulder whimpering before jumping off and landing next to Inuyasha's head. Kagome slid to a stop in the dirt, observing Inuyasha's body and evaluating the injuries.

Darting her eye's around his wounds, she had come to the conclusion that Inuyasha had fallen either from a tree or while he was in midair. 'Either way, he hit several branches.' She thought as she crouched down to look him over some more, "He has a fever and needs immediate medical attention." She flickered her eyes over to Shippou, "Are you able to transform into anything that can fly quickly?"

"O-of course!" Shippou tucked a green leaf out of his vest and placed it on his head, "Transform!" He shouted, followed by a very loud popping sound. A cloud of pink smoke engulfed the air, but had quickly dissipated revealing a large bird with strange orange hair and a turquoise bow.

Gently, the injured body was lifted from the crater by Kagome's delicate hands, the woman tucking her hanyou close to her chest as she comfortably sat on Shippou's back. Inuyasha's head had naturally gone to the crook of her neck and nuzzled her, the boy letting out various groans and growls of pain as they lifted off the ground in a gust of wind.

Grunts of discomfort were heard from the fox kit while he tried his best to lift off into the air with such a heavy load on his back. It was also just as difficult to fly up without hitting any branches, the kit trying his best to escape the forest so that he could transport them faster to the fortress. If it weren't for Kagome, he probably would have struck many trees and fallen to the ground by now. However she had cleverly used her powers once again and bent the branches back slightly to allow Shippou to get higher up a little bit more easily.

Once they reached the sky, the branches had moved back to their original places and they had taken off towards her home, the fortress clearly visible from where they were.

"We'll be there in no time," Shippou said, flapping his silver wings once more and then glided forward quickly.

The miko nodded her head and glanced down at Inuyasha, her glowing eye's filling with even more worry. She could feel a tremendous amount of dark spiritual aura pouring out of his body, the darkness almost forming a cocoon around him in which he suffered. Even with her natural powerful pure aura, she could only do so much to weaken the darkness. The amount of power that surrounded him was easily more powerful than when she originally discovered him when he had turned into a young boy.

'The final stages of the spell is taking place. Kikyo must have wanted to be absolutely sure that he wouldn't live if she failed to kill him by her own hands… I won't let this spell kill him. I'll remove it if it _kills_ me.' Kagome thought, 'Kikyo will regret causing him to suffer… She will…' She thought harshly, her once brown eyes glowing dully with blue now turning completely sky blue with a hint of glow to them, making them brilliant.

The large bird had swooped down quickly and landed carefully in front of the fortress, a small crowd forming around them as Kagome descended with her patient in tow. Her eyes had briefly brushed over the gathering of people, noting that it was Miroku, Sango, Kagura, Kouga, Ayame, and her four guardians surrounding them. Without a word she has passed by them and entered her fortress to tend to her silver haired half demon.

"Did you feel that?" Miroku muttered in awe.

Bankotsu nodded his head, "Hell we could feel her from a mile away… and she felt that much stronger standing just in front of us.."

"My skin is actually burned up a bit," Kouga added, watching as the burns slowly healed due to his demonic background.

Shippou whimpered transforming back into a kit, "M-my head hurts.. carrying her like that was hard.." He sniffled, feeling Sango pick him up.

"We need to find Kaede, Inuyasha looked to be in bad shape." Kagura added, walking away from the group in search of the old woman. She had found her fairly quick since she was already on her way to the fortress, telling the wind witch that she felt Kagome's presence intensify during her talk with Totosai.

As they rushed inside the large fortress they had quickly found Kagome in one of the largest room of the home, her room to be exact. Kagura hadn't been able to approach the room in the slightest due to the immense aura that was pouring from the room. She couldn't even walk down the hall since it burned her skin too much. Instead she had backed away and allowed Kaede to continue down to see what was going on with the miko while she returned outside to the others.

"What's going on in there?!" Ayame asked first, her eyes watering up, "Is Inuyasha okay?"

Kagura shook her head, "I have no idea what's happening. I couldn't get near the room without have my hide purified."

"We definitely wouldn't want that to happen to such a beautiful maiden," Bankotsu said in pure seriousness, earning a hit in the head from Sango.

"Can't you be serious for one second?! You're becoming just as bad as Miroku!" She hissed at him in anger.

The guardian rubbed his head while backing away from the angry woman, "O-ow! I _was_ being serious..." He muttered.

Sango merely growled, her anger dissipating and being replaced with immense guilt, "We should have kept a better eye on him.. None of this would have happened if we were paying more attention to him instead of ourselves."

Miroku nodded, "I can't help but feel that it was partly my fault he ended up like this." He replied, "He had flesh wounds and appeared to be surrounded by a terrible black aura."

Kouga was also feeling ashamed with himself for paying so much attention to Ayame and her clinginess rather than picking his usual fights with the hanyou, "What do you think happened to him?"

The group had been interrupted by the old demon Totosai, the old man entering in their circle of guilt, "Would you all stop your belly aching? That whelp is and has always been a magnet for trouble. This isn't the first time he is wounded seriously." He told them, ushering them away from the doorway of the fortress towards an empty fire pit with a burning flame. "Nothing is your fault, things happen, and you must do your best to see your way through it. I suggest that you all leave that whelp to Kagome-sama and Kaede-san. He will be fine, I guarantee it."

"How can you be so sure Totosai-jiji?" Miroku asked, "That aura was—"

"Kagome-sama is the greatest priestess in all of Japan. No being can be any purer than that woman. Believe in her, and in Inuyasha and they will be fine." Totosai told them with a nod of the head, "And if I hear anyone of you blaming yourselves again I will not hesitate to knock some sense into you." He motioned to his long hammer and laughed, "It has done wonders to Inuyasha…" He chuckled once again while walking away towards Momo, his brown three eyed cow.

"Heh… That's some old man…" Suikotsu murmured, earning nods from the group all around.

"He's right though," Jakotsu agreed, "We should just believe in Kagome. I know that girl can do anything she puts her mind to… Now if you'll excuse me, I have a delicious looking male to find." He stood up and pranced away from the group, leaving them to laugh a bit.

They had all turned back to the fortress suddenly, the group growing silent and feeling a larger spike in power. It wasn't only them either that were staring, but the whole camp filled with the army stared in wonder as well at the visible bluish aura that wrapped around the large wooden fortress. All wondering what was happening within its walls. All wondering if their fearless leader was all right.

-X-

'Inuyasha…'

'Inuyasha…'

'Inu_ya_shaa!!' Kagome mentally cried, trying her best to break through the dark aura. She couldn't even heal him with her power since the cocoon of darkness was so strong. Instead she was obliged to use some bandages and herbs to clean and heal his injuries because she was having such a hard time.

Kaede had shown up not a moment after she finished bandaging him, trying to soothe her and make her concentrate on minimizing the dark air around Inuyasha. Even with the amount of spiritual pureness naturally surrounding her, she couldn't break through to him. Kaede was even beginning to have a hard time staying near the two since the clash of aura's were so overwhelming, that she felt sick to her stomach.

"Ye must calm yerself Kagome-sama, please. This old woman may not be able to help ye if ye are to continue like this." Kaede pleaded to the miko who sat next to the boy lying on the largest sleeping mat in the home.

Kagome nodded her head and tried to contain some of her power, "Please tell me what we can do.. I can't just leave him like this.." She asked.

The older woman had sighed, "The only thing ye can do to help the boy is concentrate, Kagome-sama. Ye mustn't let yer powers surround ye in a time like this. Try to move them through ye fingers and wrap around Inuyasha. Ye goal is not to harm him, but to heal."

"I don't see how something like this will rid the darkness," Kagome sniffled, her contained power letting loose a little more again, "But I'll try.." She placed one hand above his head and the other over his chest. What amazed Kaede the most was how the girl wasn't even calling back the power that was obviously pooling out of her. Instead she had called fourth even more strength from within, not even realizing that so much was surrounding her in her own shell of protection.

'Kagome-sama, ye do not realize that ye have placed several barriers of power around yerself without even tiring yer own body. I can already feel more than four different kinds of barriers surrounding this fortress, this wing, this room and you. No demon is even able to come near this place despite its good heart… Ye have grown so very strong.. It is frightening to say the least..' She thought, watching in amazement as a pure bluish power glowed from her hands and fought against the black cloud that surrounded Inuyasha. She had to cover her eye due to the brightness, placing a small shield around her own form to avoid being mulled with a headache and sense of sickness from the clashing powers.

'Inuyasha… Inuyasha!' Kagome mentally called to him, ushering more of her strength onto him without much difficulty, 'I don't want you to suffer! I don't want you to.. die. Please, please don't let him die.. Please!' She mentally begged, the brightness engulfing her suddenly.

_'Inuyasha…'_ She mentally called.

_'..Inuyasha..'_

'_Inu_ya_sha!!'_

'_Please don't leave me... please… I know you're stronger than this…'_

_'I need you..'_

'_Inuyasha.'_

_'I need you with me, Inuyasha.'_

The flash had died down, and turned into a pulsing blue aura around Kagome, her hair blowing wildly behind her as pure winds surrounded her being. Her eyes had closed earlier when it had gotten too bright to see, when they opened they were still the brilliant sky blue colour. Immediately, all the barriers that she had subconsciously placed had been removed, everything minimizing and surrounding her and Inuyasha solely.

Glancing down at him worriedly, and she had sighed in relief when she saw that the darkness had also been minimized by a substantial amount, her power now protecting him. She had brushed a few strands of silver hair away from his face gently, feeling that his fever had lowered a bit and his breathing wasn't as harsh.

Kaede, whom had uncovered her eye once the light was gone, had gasped in pure amazement at Kagome. She truly was the true guardian of the Shikon no tama and nothing short of a goddess with the way the winds she created surrounded her. 'Amazing, Kagome-sama..'

Kagome caressed his cheek with her hand, smiling sadly, "The rest is up to you.. I can't do anything else Inuyasha but give you my protection, my strength.."

"Ye have done enough to help him, Kagome-sama. With your light as his guide, he is sure to find his way home." Kaede reassured her gently, leaving Kagome to be with Inuyasha.

The rest of the evening she had slept by him, her winds had died down a little while she relaxed herself and drifted into the land of sleep. Kaede had been the one to tell the others the story of what had gone on in the building, also telling them that it was safe for them to return to their respective rooms without being harmed. Most of them did, some of the army had stayed outside to rest in their make shift camp, others merely stayed awake the whole night, their demon blood far too excited for the battle that would be raging on at dawn.

The grounds were silent, only the crackles of dying fires echoed throughout the area. Even within the fortress, it was deathly quiet…

Sango and Miroku slept together in one room, cuddling while completely clothed of course, and sleeping blissfully. They weren't the only couple together either. Among the other rooms there were Kouga and Ayame, Bankotsu and Kagura, Shippou curled with Kirara and Jakotsu with one of the slayers that he fancied. They all sought comfort in each other in an attempt to quell the fear of what would be the outcome of the mornings battle.

Kagome had been the first to wake, hours before dawn. She merely sat up and watched over Inuyasha, his body still glowing lightly with blue and a hint of black that fought against it. She had rubbed one of his ears affectionately, soothing him a great deal. His breathing was better but still a bit harsh and his fever had also remained how it was before she fell asleep. However she never gave up on him. She believed that he would make it through this, that he would be alright because she knew.. He was way too stubborn not to be.

"I believe in you. I know you can wake up.. You can fight this.. Don't let Kikyo win." She whispered fiercely, kissing his forehead. With that, she had stood up and gone to wake the others.

She half chuckled at each red face she saw as she faced the different couples. She hadn't expected Sango or Kagura to give in to their affection so soon, but they were entering in a desperate time.. Still it was amusing to see Kagura screech and verbally abuse Bankotsu for holding her so closely, while Sango saved her cursing and instead bashed the monk senselessly in the head for not only holding onto her so tightly, but having held her in a fashion where his hands were placed.. Inappropriately on her rear and chest.

Jakotsu was a whole other story and had not burned in embarrassment even though he was the only one that was not clothed with his new male friend he fancied. She believed his name was Touya and he was rather handsome. She had chuckled to herself, shaking her head at their behaviour and gone down into the kitchens to begin making breakfast.

With the help of some of her companions, the whole army had been fed and ready for battle. The sun had yet to rise, but they could see that it was coming. Kagome had told them of the strategy and given them a heart warming speech to help motivate them, however they didn't need much motivation when it came to fighting against Naraku. In fact, they seemed quite eager to begin.

She placed a hand on the handle of her blade, feeling it vibrate with power, comforting her racing heart. She had moved the army towards the edge of her barrier, but not to the end where they could be seen. She was the only one that stood along the borderline, her hand moving to take her bow and ready it.

Her four generals stood separated behind her, each leading a different squad of men waiting for her to signal them. Among the different squads were also her closest friends and their families. She hoped for the best for them, and mentally wished for them all to be in one piece once this war was over.

Kagome closed her eyes and opened them when she felt the warmth of the first few sunrays, the ball of fire now slowly and finally rising. Her blue eyes turning to the clouds of hundreds of demons that were closing in, followed by three figures that walked in the distance towards her forest with even more youkai behind them. One figure glowing with an intense purple aura of malice, while the two others at either side of him glowed with cruelty and evil.

"Here they come," Kagome whispered, "May the gods be with us."

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**A/N Was it good? Please tell me your thoughts about it! Oh and here are some replies to your reviews! I thought a few people merited some answers.**

**To: _Summer in the Spring_, that last little clipet at the end of my chapter definitely was from the Rock Lee incident on Naruto lols. I didn't really realize it until after I posted it up then I laughed remember how Lee was when he first met Sakura haha.**

**To: _Sessho's gal_, it had been awhile since I heard from ya, I'm glad your back!**

**To: _Dragon Tamer_and _Lady Bookworm__,_ haha you two must have been the two most pumped readers to review for me telling me to update ASAP. Haha well here's the chapter and I will try to get the next one out a lot sooner seeing as you guys are pretty eager eh? Lol. Thanks for the support!**

**And now from my ultra crazy blah blah clip of randomz!**

**Bank: Hey Jak, how in gods name did you seduce that man so freaken soon?!**

**Jak: Oh, well, you know me! I'm just _that_ good! –winks-**

**Bank: Hmm, I could use some pointers if ya don't mind.. I've got my own little vixen I'd like to hook up with..**

**Jak: Sorry, I can't help hetero's. My tips are strictly for alllll the gay boy's like me. –see's Kouga- OooooOOoooh, he-llo cutie…**

**Kou: -hair spikes- -looks around- Holly shit!**

**Bank: -stops painting Jakotsu's nails and turns to see Kouga-**

**Jak: Sorry Bank, but I have to go work some of my magic… Oooo Kouga dear!! –trots after him with pretty pink unfinished nails-**

**Bank: -sweatdrops- On second hand, maybe I better stick to getting advice from the pervert… -hear's loud smacking noise and see's Miroku fly away- Okay… scratch that.. I won't listen to anyone..**

**San: -walks by Bank fuming-**

**Bank: -swallows- Yep, def not going to get advice from the hentai..**

**Moi: Good choice. I say just be yourself! –nodsnods- Now can I get one of your famous manicures?!**

**Bank: Sure, maybe you can help me with my problem! –whips out nail file-**

**Moi: Haha, maybe… R&R! **_  
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	15. It Begins

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Hurray for fans and reviews! I'm glad you guys liked the other chapter, so I hope this one is just as exciting to guys as it was for me to write. Enjoy!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Chapter 15. It Begins**

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_'Closer'_

Naraku grinned haughtily at the figure ahead of him standing at the edge of the forest behind a supposedly powerful barrier. He had been waiting for this moment for countless years, and finally the last piece of his plan had come together at last. His crimson eyes glittered darkly with the thought of killing _the_ Purest woman, _the_ Guardian of the Forest of Purity, Higurashi Kagome. He had to grasp the handle of his newfound weapon, So'ounga, to help quell his raging urge to brutally slaughter her and every living being inside her forest. Though he knew that he was going to enjoy this, he also knew that he was not to rush things since he wanted to thoroughly torture his victims before giving them the sweet release of death.

'Yes, I will take immense pleasure in torturing your pitiful little soul, miko-sama…' Naraku thought maliciously, continuing his steps towards the forest. He had narrowed his eyes at the sight of something glaring brightly at him, a piece of metal reflecting the now brightly sunlit sky. 'An arrow? She thinks she can destroy my army with a single arrow?' He mentally laughed at her foolishness.

"She's preparing herself," Kikyo spoke, grasping her bow nervously. "Do not make the mistake of taking her lightly Naraku-sama, she is much more powerful than she seems."

"Ch," Naraku snorted, "If that is true, than why does her barrier look so pathetic? You honestly would like me to believe that you, a powerful miko and a dark miko witch, could not break through this wretched excuse of a shield?"

_'Closer..' _

The army of demons in the sky followed behind their master with strict obedience, while the others that trailed behind them on the ground did the same. Tsubaki shot a glance behind herself and curled her face back in disgust. These filthy things smelled like dead corpses, and they looked beyond hideous. Their sight made her want to vomit her insides, but she refrained herself from making any comments that would anger the final of the Three Greatest Demon Lords. He could kill her in a matter of seconds if she wasn't careful.

"She must be using a trick to make us believe she is weak," Tsubaki decided to say, earning a brief thankful look from Kikyo. 'What is this girl thinking…? Her barrier was at least twenty folds stronger than this, if not than more…' She thought to herself, glaring her aqua eyes at the girl ahead standing clad in armour. 'She's been expecting us.. Those are the gowns of the previous miko's in battle.'

"A trick you say…? Perhaps, or perhaps she has made special preparations for this day. She looks to have been expecting our presence.." Naraku murmured, ceasing his steps when he could clearly see her from where he was, several yards away. His armour glinted in the sunlight, while his long dark tresses blew behind him gently due to the immense dark youkai aura that his body was natural putting off. The growth beneath his feet began to wilt and die, none of the plants being able to withstand such a poisonous aura for more than a minute.

_'Closer damnit..'_

"To break her barrier or to see her power? Decisions decisions.." Naraku hummed, laughing to himself as he bounced ideas around in his head.

"Personally, I'd like to see what the child is up to…" The dark witch suggested to the demon lord, earning a crimson glare for even speaking up. She shuddered at his eyes and inched away from him slightly, bowing her head in respect, "F-forgive me Naraku-sama.. Please the decision is yours.."

He nodded, accepting her forgiveness, "Very well…"

_'Closer to me.. Closer…'_ An arrow was pulled back even more firmly against the bowstring.

The final Great Demon Lord lifted his hand, motioning solely for the demons in the sky to move forward towards the barrier. They had complied with their master's wish and had begun to move forward, all of the hundreds of demons that littered the blue skies. If he was lucky, Naraku wouldn't have to lift a finger to break the barrier. He'd rather they did it than him since he wanted to reserve his power to fight her. He rubbed the handle of his sword, still just barely able to contain his urge to serge forward and kill her instantly.

_'That's right you coward.. Move them first..'_ Her blue eyes glinted with pleasure.

Kikyo pointed her eyes on the girl, looking over her chosen attire, her bow, her single little arrow, and her face. 'I know that Kagome does not have the eyes clear like the sky in broad daylight.. They are brown like the earth.. Why do her eyes glow…' She mentally growled, clenching her bow even more tightly as her hand glowed with purplish light. Glaring up at the demons that moved towards the forest she smirked, Naraku was most definitely being foolish, leaving pathetic weaklings like those to try and break her barrier. They would surely disintegrate before even coming close to _touching_ it.

_'Here they come...'_ She grinned and lifted her bow suddenly to the heavens, letting her first bolt whiz through her barrier, the arrow glowing brightly with proof of her large amount of spiritual power. As soon as the single bolt had passed her barrier, several hundreds of similar glowing blue arrows had surged from the barrier. All that was heard were the cries of the youkai as they all turned to ash upon being touched by the arrows of light, all of them… Gone… Their ashes blowing in the wind.

From her position, she could clearly see Naraku frown. However that frown had twisted into a smile of pure amusement. Was he toying with her? If he was, he wouldn't surely regret it.. She ground her teeth, as she knocked back another arrow from her quiver, not bothering to wait for him to send the second half of his discount army to her. She would just have to kill them from where she stood.

"Does she truly believe her arrow will reach as far as here?" Kikyo taunted, refusing to display her anger towards the powerful girl. 'She's gotten stronger, the little brat!' She thought venomously.

As soon as the second bolt was shot, several more hundreds of blue glowing arrows released themselves into the heavens before shortly beginning their descent to the youkai. Kikyo had gasped, about to form a barrier when Naraku had beat her to it. He had formed a dark purple shield around the three of them, ignoring the cries of the rest of his army as they all perished in a glow of blue light.

"She just wiped out that army with two arrows," Muttered an awed voice from inside the barrier.

Someone next to the male snorted and rolled her eyes, "Of course she did, you hentai. That's what to be expected from the Guardian of the Forest of Purity." She hissed back.

The monk ignored the insult and simply continued to enjoy the show until she sent them their proper signal. "My dearest, why do you choose to hurt me with your words..?" He sighed loudly, inching his hand towards her.

She crushed his hand with her Hiraikotsu, an angry blush decorating her pale flesh, "You know why you depraved hentai!" Sango muttered harshly, relishing in his murmurs of whimpers, "How I got stuck in the same squad as you is beyond me.. Kagome should have known better…" She bit out, releasing his hand to place her weapon back on her back.

Miroku anime cried as he blew on his hand, hoping to make the pain go away. "You are too cruel to me.." He sniffled, then was hushed by the other slayers and silenced himself to listen to watch the battle ahead.

The miko let her bow drop momentarily, her blue eyes glaring at Naraku viciously. "It's over, Naraku! If you value your life, you will leave this place."

His barrier had dropped and he didn't seem at all worried about her threats. He closed his eyes in annoyance, and then opened them once more, his figure suddenly in front of the miko's. She didn't seem at all fazed by his speed, however the two miko's left behind were beyond flabbergasted. He smirked, patting the handle of his blade in reassurance knowing it craved blood.

"Who do you think you are speaking with, miko-sama? I am no normal youkai.." He purred, eying the weak barrier with little interest.

Kagome never ripped her eyes away from him, noting that he held a blade that was supposed to be sealed away in shrine far from this place, "You dare awaken So'ounga despite the wishes of its previous master?"

"Inu no Taisho was a fool, and died a fool. He never truly used the power of the blade, however I will rectify that mistake." Naraku replied.

"I won't allow it."

Rolling his eyes he smirked, "You dare go against me? The final of the three Greatest Demon Lords?" He let out a loud bark of laughter, "You, and what army? And this weak little thing, it's been bothering me since we set foot near it." He lifted a clawed hand to the barrier and pushed his hand forward through it with ease. The light crackled around his hand before it physically appeared, cracks running up from the hole he created with his hand.

Kagome knew it was breaking, finally someone was breaking it. She could hardly hold back her glee, but she had. The miko had kept her stony face, not a muscle twitching as the hand remained inside the forest, the barrier continuously cracking until the whole thing had shattered. Once it was gone, Naraku had moved to swipe at her face, however she merely used her bow infused with her power and smacked him away.

He flew back into the clearing, smoke lifting from his armour from her small attack. Though the smirk had never left his face as he stared at the girl. "You are a fiery one, my dear.." He placed his hand back on the handle of his sword, "However playtime is now over." Her unsheathed the dark blade, all growth around the entire clearing dying instantly, turning into nothing but dry soil.

Though none of the poisonous aura had reached her Forest, the greenery behind her remaining in one piece as her own powerful aura protected over it. 'He's going to open the doorway--!' She thought in alarm.

He sunk his sword into the dry soil before she even had a chance to stop him, the earth cracking beneath him. Still, she held her ground and watched. She needed to wait for the right moment to send her army ahead, the less casualties, the better.

The earth in the clearing shifted, large portions moving upwards to create a large hill on which Naraku stood, while other portions glowed and dove further into the ground, creating a path. Glowing red flames engulfed the lower half of the path, sound of armours clashing together had echoed up towards them.

Kikyo grunted and eyed Tsubaki, "You mean to tell me that this army we had worked so hard to obtain was never the army that was to be used in battle against her?!"

Tsubaki merely shrugged, "It appears so. Do not chastise him, Kikyo-san.. Or he will not hesitate to kill you."

The dark miko snorted, "I don't think he's going to kill me so easily. He seems to be smitten with me, unlike you. He doesn't care much for dark witches it seems…"

"Hold your tongue Kikyo-san! Or I will cut it off personally." She promised, returning her gaze to the path Naraku had created to the underworld. The earth around them shook and they were force to watch their step as it moved to gather around Naraku.

His army, his true army, was now rising. Dead soldiers from the past in squads moved towards the gates Naraku prepared with So'ounga, the blade of the underworld. Kagome had mentally cursed the blade for its existence, knowing full and well that she needed to find a way to destroy it as well if she ever hoped to defeat Naraku. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and knocked it back in her bow, letting the bolt go immediately at the army that was now gathering in the human world in the clearing.

One arrow had struck one of the undead soldiers, causing it to dissolve, followed by three more arrows. This continued until she fired her last bolt, then she dropped her empty quiver and kept a firm hold on her bow. Her eyes were bulging at the sight of all the undead men that were gathering and still gathering. She needed to close that gate, even if it was only for a few moments. 'Already there's roughly two thousand men just standing beyond this point. I need to act _fast_!' She thought.

"C'mon Kagome-sama.. Give us the signal.." Bankotsu muttered impatiently from his position, grasping his Banryuu firmly.

Kagome made a hand signal, a glowing green symbol appearing before her, "Wood release: Dragons wall." She struck the ground with the palms of her hands, summoning the wooden dragon to do her biding. Soon after, glowing wood merged with earth had moved and blocked the gateway created by Naraku, preventing any more soldiers from trespassing into the real world.

The miko was not finished there, she had created another quick hand signal, followed by a green glowing symbol and called out, "Earth release: Barricade terrain" She shouted fiercely, flattening out the battle grounds so that her army would not harm themselves and fall into the various holes Naraku had created during the shift for his gateway.

Naraku merely shot the girl annoying glares and made a motion for his army to attack. He never knew that the girl could control the elements of wood and earth like that. Something that Kikyo had neglected to mention he supposed. 'Such an annoying girl..' Naraku thought bitterly as he watched said girl lift her bow into the air and holler something. He didn't miss the shouts of glory of various voices sounding in the forest.

He knew that they were hiding _some_where…

Kagome had signalled for her army to move forward, the men and women hollering with excitement as they marched through the forest towards the thousands of undead soldiers ahead. Only Totosai remained beside her with an unbearable look on his face as he stared at the horror in front of him.

"These are the soldiers of the underworld, only spiritual powers and fire can destroy them." He said in his crackly old voice, "Do you suppose they know that?"

"Inform them Totosai, quickly." Kagome ordered shifting her eyes to try and locate Kikyo and Tsubaki. She mildly cursed when she couldn't see them standing where they last were. However she knew where they were heading, with one final glance at the battle raging on in the clearing, she had back away into her forest and gone to her fortress.

She had to move quickly if she wanted to intercept them, 'I can feel her nearby, seems like she is having a bit of difficulty traveling through the foliage.' She thought in mild amusement as the girl leapt ahead, using a speed that no one else knew of to locate the two female problems. She knew where Kikyo was, but Tsubaki's aura kept escaping her senses, 'Another problem..' She thought in alarm, her blue eyes spotting the red pant miko struggling against the trees to keep moving forward.

Unlike Kikyo, Kagome knew perfectly how to manoeuvre herself around the thick plant life. That and she would cheat a little by using her influences with the wood god to move branches and such out of her way to run faster. She had approached Kikyo a lot more quickly than the dark miko had expected, and had taken her by surprise by appearing seemingly out of nowhere.

Kagome hid her grin behind her beige scarf before doing a roundhouse kick to the stomach at the dark miko, successfully launching her out of the woods with that single kick. 'I must thank Kouga for his assistance in my training later…' She observed and ran after the dark miko who tumbled into the hardened ground outside of the forest, her white haorie covered in dirt stains and torn in the sleeves.

"Kagome, you wretched girl!" Kikyo cursed to herself, weakly standing to her feet. "I will be sure to kill you shortly after the half breed."

Kagome narrowed her sight on the dirtied woman, ceasing her steps until she was several feet away, "You will not touch him… I won't let either of you lay a hand on him!" She vowed.

"Ha! We shall see about that, little Kagome-_sama_." She chuckled, "I gather that the boy has already broken into a fever by now…" Kikyo observed the woman's slightly differed reaction and smiled darkly, "Yes he has. Judging by your appearance, he isn't doing very well. What a shame," She taunted, "I was looking forward to killing him myself, but I see that I will merely have to let the spell finish the whelp."

Kagome bit the inside of her cheek, the bitter taste of blood alerting her that she bit a little too hard. "Enough, Kikyo." She placed her hands together to form another hand signal, "I intend to deal with your sentence later…"

"Oh? And how is it that you'll stop me? Even with your little tricks against Naraku-sama, those are hardly enough powerful to hold me." She laughed, but it was already too late for her.

"Wood release: Binding Dragon," Kagome's words seethed in anger at Kikyo's taunts as she slammed her palms against the hard earth surface. She held back her smile as she observed with immense pleasure Kikyo being completely bound by the elemental wood dragon. "Don't brush off my abilities so easily, Kikyo-_chan_. Seiryuu-sama does not enjoy being mocked by ingrid's such as yourself…"

The miko struggled against the wooden dragon that kept her body and power equally bound and cursed. Her hateful eyes glared at Kagome's blue orbs, the woman hissing as she struggled more, "I won't let you do this--!"

Kagome shook her head at her useless efforts and turned to return to the main battle, however she did not leave without hearing Kikyo's final words, "You watch, Tsubaki will get to him first then the Shikon will be ours for the taking…"

Those words troubled Kagome until she came to realize that Tsubaki's energy signature had indeed been missing. 'She could be anywhere..' Kagome thought as she returned to the main battle grounds, her eye's widening in horror at the amount of slain soldiers littering the grounds. Luckily her friends seemed to be keeping up with the battle, however many others weren't so lucky.

"Kagome-sama!" She heard the cry come from the left, noting that one of the human soldiers was having a difficult time fighting four undead men at once. Straight away she formed a hand sign and dashed towards him, 'Fire Release: _Blazing Phoenix!_' She mentally summoned, a burning red kanji for fire forming in front of her figure.

A loud screech was heard, its voice echoing through the clearing as a bright bird emerged from the kanji. The bird itself was far larger than a human and purely made of subdued flames until it came into contact with its appointed prey.

The boy that stood in the centre of the undead soldiers had to cover his eyes as the bird encircled him, its flames engulfing the undead men and burning their flesh and armour to ash. Once they were gone it had lifted into the skies and returned to the fire kanji from which it came. He had heard of the Guardians power to control elements, but this was beyond powerful. The fire hadn't even felt hot to him as it burned the enemies in seconds with its inferno, not even damaging the grounds. He blinked his brown eyes in awe as the woman stood in front of him and smiled weakly.

"Are you alright Kohaku-kun?" She asked timidly.

Kohaku had nodded his head several times in embarrassment, "I-I'm sorry for troubling you K-Kagome-sama!" His faced burned shyly at the attention she was so graciously giving him.

"Goo—" In that split second she had swerved her body to protect him again, the energy signature behind her far too large to belong to anyone but him. Her hand had moved unbelievably fast to the handle of her blade, the girl withdrawing it in a flash to block So'ounga from slicing Kohaku.

"Naraku…"

-X-

The four generals led their squads in different locations in hopes of surrounding the army. Too bad the army grossly out numbered them. All they could do now was put their best foot forward and attack with all they had to give.

Bankotsu vaguely registered Totosai yelling to tell them all that they were weak against fire and spiritual powers, 'Well great, I have neither.' He thought hotly, swiping his blade across another soldier, slicing it in half. "Well that seems to work.." He noted aloud, but then scratched that note since the thing merely pulled itself back together while three more attacked him.

"Great…." He held up his Banryuu fiercely, "You guys better feel special, because I don't like using Banryuu like this.." He muttered, a ball of purplish light beginning to form at the tip of his blade. As it grew larger, demonic winds began to encircle it and for a moment his eyes seemed to shift colours from a deep blue to a crimson red, "Take this, you bastards!" He shouted, launching the sphere of light at the enemy, disintegrating at least twenty of them before more began to attack him.

"Damn…" He breathed.

Over with the others, Kouga had a hard time keeping up with all of them. He took pride in not using any form of weapon except his claws to do battle. Too bad this situation called for more force. He really hated to rely on his sword and would rather die than use his insane blade.

'But this is for Kagome's sake, and the sake of all living things..' He thought sadly, placing a hand on the handle of his katana, not minding the poisonous sting that burned his hands due to the soldiers. He could feel the damn blade pulse with excitement and half wondered how a blade made from his own fang could be so insane with pride and power.

'That damn Totosai-jiji… I bet he used a different fang instead of mine to make this stupid thing…' He mentally muttered, releasing his sword in one swift movement. The soldier that was in front of him had combusted into flames as soon as Kouga had scratched the thing, and he grinned. It took a lot of stamina out of him to use it, but when he did it never failed.

"Let's give 'em a little more sunshine in their lives, Haruki." Kouga chuckled, continuously slashing the soldiers.

Meanwhile Hakkaku and Ginta cheered on their boss while they watched him beat the tar out of the undead morons. They now hardly paid any attention to their surroundings and thus were scared beyond their wits when a boomerang attached to a houshi staff had whizzed by them. The large object had apparently disintegrated several enemies that had been only centimetres from their faces.

"D-did you see that!" Ginta pointed to the weapon that fast retreated to its master.

"She saved our butts," Hakkaku told him before the two had let out screeches of horror when more undead men were heading their way.

Ginta had used his staff to hold back the men and slice them, though it hardly did any damage. "G-gaaaaahh!" He whimpered.

A heavy sigh was heard above the two and the wolves had stared up at a floating three eyed bull. Perched on it was Totosai-jiji, his cheeks filling with fire as he let out a large flame at the mangled bodies below, his beady eyes shooting their way momentarily, "You fools cut them up, I'll do the rest." He announced, satisfied that he earned hard good nods from them.

"Right!"

Once the Hiraikotsu had returned in her grasp, Sango had returned Miroku's staff to him and shoved more men away from her body forcefully. Kirara was next to her, roaring and hissing at the army, sinking her fangs into them and launching them away. "Miroku that combination had seemed to work on them." Sango yelled back to him as she struck another samurai.

Miroku panted and tossed five sutras, subduing some of the soldiers and purifying them with his staff, "I noticed, but the grounds are too thick with allies. We risk hitting some of our own if we're not careful." He shouted back.

"Are you telling me I have poor aim?!" Sango barked angrily, slicing a samurai in half with her boomerang bone as if he were butter.

Miroku sweat dropped and inched back a bit from her fiery glares, "U-uh not at all! I'm just saying we shouldn't risk injuring any of our own when we are already so out numbered." He explained, sending again more sutras to his enemies.

"Fine, but I don't know how much long I can take this," She breathed, shoving another back. She mentally groaned at the sight of the undead pulling themselves back together again, 'I can't keep doing this… there's just too many!'

"F-fox fire!" A blue flame had timidly engulfed the men before Sango, burning them to ash.

"Shippou-chan?" Sango blinked, not able to keep her eyes on the fox kit for even a moment before she had to push another body back. "You were supposed to stay back with the others in the fortress." She grunted, slashing another, the kit setting it on fire.

"I-I know but I co-could do it! I d-don't want to st-stay back like a coward!" Shippou stuttered, impressed that he was able to actually do a little damage with his fire.

Miroku subdued another enemy and purified it, looking over to his comrades tiredly, "Well… we can use the help." He added with a sheepish grin.

At this point, everyone could use some help. Though the gates were closed, two thousand undead men were much more difficult to deal with than they originally thought. Especially when you could only kill them using fire and purifying powers. Even the demon soldiers were having difficulties dealing with this concept, and they had in human strength!

They could only hope for a miracle at this point.

One hell of a miracle.

-X-

Naraku narrowed his eyes in displeasure before smirking with delight. The girl had blocked his attack quite easily, "As expected from the Guardian Priestess." He sneered, pressing his blade further against Kagome's for a short moment before leaping back. He stared at the sword she carried with interest before asking, "What manner of blade it that? I can't see it, but I know that it's there.."

Kagome held up her sword and motioned for Kohaku to stay away, "Kazekami appears invisible to everyone but the chosen wielder. He also has a temper that could allow him to destroy half the continent if you're not careful." She said proudly, her blade vibrating with content at the compliment.

"Kazekami you say? I must add it to my collection." Naraku purred, launching himself at the girl once again. His eyes glistened with joy at the thought of having such an exquisite blade in his collection along side of So'ounga. Said blade had crashed down onto Kagome's transparent sword, the two clashing loudly before he overwhelmed her.

She had slid back surprisingly and pushed away from him, leaping back several feet before launching herself back at him, "Take this.." She bit out, slashing her sword diagonally, letting loose a twister of wind.

It had definitely shocked him mildly to see such a strong tornado of wind being generated from a single blade. Though his patience and amusement with the girl was already growing thin as he watched a fair amount of his undead soldiers be swept up by the winds effortlessly while her comrades remained untouched. Soon, what looked like a phoenix had entered the twister, his lips had turned into a permanent frown when the whole tornado turned to flames.

Kagome stood outside of the attack slightly breathless, still holding the fire kanji before her as she continued to fight along side of her comrades to defeat the undead soldiers. While the tornado held Naraku back, she decided to use this time to help her friends whom seemed to have the utmost difficulty trying to destroy the men. She knew that it was due to their lack of purifying powers and fire that the soldiers kept returning to life easily. She could see in the distance the old man Totosai having an equally hard time using his flaming breath to sear the enemy, while Renkotsu was running out of fuel to cause immense flames.

Making matters worse, along with a fair amount of comrades already dead, the gates that she had sealed were beginning to shatter. Soon, more men from the underworld would engulf the fields and bring about more trouble for her friends.

Beads of sweat dripped down the side of her face, the woman ultimately deciding to let go of her blazing twister to use a different tactic. The phoenix had returned to her fire kanji, the symbol disintegrating along with the tornado that held Naraku for several moments while she aided the others. To say that she was shocked would have been an understatement, since before her now stood Naraku without even a scratch marring his features, though some of his armour did look somewhat charred.

'Damn,' Kagome mentally curse and shot him glares of pure hatred when she caught him chuckling at her.

"I was beginning to think that a miko of your calibre would be more powerful than this… And also more… Clever." Naraku rested his blade casually against his shoulder while he sported an arrogant grin, "Haven't you noticed yet the disappearance of that woman, Tsubaki?"

Kagome rolled her eyes, "Haven't you noticed the condition your precious Kikyo-chan is in?" She shot back just as fiercely, 'Though he is right… Tsubaki's power is still unaccounted for.' She thought.

"I will not tolerate such impudence from a human woman, Guardian Priestess or not." He growled, his form engulfing in a dark cloud of poisonous aura.

Kagome flinched, her heart accelerating for the briefest moment before calming down, 'No! That's impossible!' She thought, her eye's glancing back into her forest before resting back on Naraku.

She was very aware that the binds holding back the hellish army were almost completely gone, but refused to let someone like Naraku stand in her way. She needed to bind him, even for a moment, in order to return to her fortress. She saw a sudden blur in front of her vision before a grinning Ookami prince stood before her, along with Kagura, Ayame and Bankotsu.

"I noticed that special little look of yours," Kouga chuckled, she noted that his claws were covered in poison from the undead soldiers and yet he paid no mind to the stinging sensation. He was also wielding the sword that was always strapped to his hip and never used.

"Then he got us to reinforce you," Ayame sent her a wink, her poor white fur was tattered with dirt and poisonous liquid.

Bankotsu rested his Banryuu easily against his shoulder, mimicking Naraku's pose with amusement, "So go back already, we'll keep this bastard busy." He reassured her, his blue eyes never flickering away from Naraku's figure ahead of them.

With a nod Kagome had parted ways from them, dashing back into her forest to locate her fortress. She had not hesitated to use more of her in human strength to push her legs faster, almost gliding across the forest grounds. When she had found her fortress, her eyes had widened as she stared at the barrier.

Kagome had specifically weakened the main forest barrier so that she and the contract with the wolves would be broken and they would be free to roam outside and battle to their hearts content. Then with the excess power she had, the woman had created a shield surrounding her fortress to protect the innocent from the dangers of the war. She had reinforced her barrier to be much stronger than the one that once protected her forest to make absolute sure that no unnecessary casualties would be made.

'So then how could she have created a hole in my power? How did she get by my barrier?!' Kagome mentally seethed, passing through without a problem before entering through the broken doors of her fortress hurriedly. She scanned the area quickly, seeing many injured wolf women littering the home, the path growing thicker until she reached the second floor.

At least they weren't severally injured, but she did recognize the dark cloud of darkness that lingered above them, 'Tsubaki..' She thought as she reached the room she had been looking for, where she had a special guest sleeping. She hadn't been surprised to find a dark signature trying to keep her out of the room, and had effortlessly broken it.

When she entered the room, her blade unsheathed and poised at her side, her breath had hitched. Her glowing sky blue eyes met with burning amber orbs filled with anger and then confusion. His sword was heaved above his shoulder, most likely in mid swing to break the dark spell that enclosed the room.

"Inu…Yasha..?" Kagome mumbled in half amazement at the full grown man that stood before her, equally shocked.

"Ka… Gome? Wh-wha…" He lowered the Tetsusaiga hesitantly and continued to stare at her, "Where the fuck am I--? Wha… What in the seven hells is going on?!"

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**A/N I'm gunna graciously end it there –grins-. I am so mean I know. But hey, look on the bright side, at least I updated in like a week! Plus, I promise the next chapter will also be up in about a week. I will work extra hard to post it up on time I swear! Because it's already been started so it will be easy to continue it. Well, R&R!**

**Jak: Aw, I wasn't in this chapter.. why nooooooooooot?**

**Kag: Sorry, I'm kinda the main character… I don't mean to take up the spot light!**

**Jak: It's okay Kagome darling, it isn't your fault –glares at author- Its you!! Put me in the story already!!!!!!!**

**Moi: a-ah… Look –points away- Its Inuyasha, Kouga, and Sesshoumaru! They're having a make out session without you!!**

**Jak: Wha?!?! WHERE!?!? –turns-**

**Moi: -whispers- R&R! –runs-**

**Jak: Hey wait a min—NO! WHERE DID YOU GO?!?!**


	16. Raging War

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Thank you for your patience! Here's the chapter!**

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****Forest of Purity**

_Last time:_

_"Inu…Yasha..?" Kagome mumbled in half amazement at the full grown man that stood before her, equally shocked._

_"Ka… Gome? Wh-wha…" He lowered the Tessaiga hesitantly and continued to stare at her, "Where the fuck am I--? Wha… What in the seven hells is going on?!"_

**Chapter 16. Raging War**

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She couldn't believe he was standing in front of her, just a few feet away from her shocked body. If she reached out enough, she could run her hands along the side of his face lovingly, the way she always wanted to do before she was separated from him. He had grown so handsome, his jaw set, his golden eyes burning with such an intensity that caused her to shiver. He was positively the most enticing and dare she think sexy male she had ever laid eyes on.

Her blue eyes blinked once, then twice before she began to formulate words and zone into the real world, "There's no time, now that you've returned I need you to come with me." She motioned for him to follow her as she leapt across the hall, overhearing the hanyou mutter something along the lines of 'crazy fast bitch'. By then he had sheathed his Tessaiga and been hot on her heels until they finally got to the main floor. That's when she had noticed something beyond disturbing.

A strange chill permanently settled itself in her lower back, her blue eyes glancing outside the broken fortress doors in heavy alarm. 'No…!' She ran out of the doors and felt the electrical dark current burn her body as she collided with a new barrier that had somehow over powered her own. She cringed at the pain, backing away steadily while smoke lifted from her body, her eyes boring holes into aqua blue orbs.

"Foolish girl… Saving him has proven to be your greatest mistake." With one last wave, she had used the power of the Shikon to transport herself out of the forest and presumably to Naraku.

"No…" Kagome's mouth was slack, her form emitting waves of sheer panic. 'How could I be so stupid? It's over.. Tsubaki has the Shikon and Naraku will… He'll…'

"Outta my way," Inuyasha said roughly, shoving her back behind him for protection. "I'm gunna get us outta here," He grinned, his pearly white fangs hanging low against his lips. He held out his sword before him, the Tessaiga letting off pulsing waves of pure demonic aura, though not a black aura, but more of a comforting strong aura.

"She…" Kagome shook her head gently to regain composure, "She took the Sacred Jewel. We need to stop her from giving it to Naraku."

"Fine," Inuyasha smirked as the Tetsusaiga coated itself in a crimson red. When he felt that his blade was ready, he had swung the large fang at the barrier, earning Kagome's fullest attention as the whole thing turned into harmless vapour. He had sheathed his sword in merely seconds afterwards and sent her a look, "Let's go."

With that said the woman had taken the lead, much to Inuyasha's chagrin, since she was able to influence to foliage to bend to her command. The hanyou had mentally questioned how she was able to do such a thing and then figured it was because of her insane amount of spiritual powers. He still had no idea what was going on, and how he came to be in this situation at all. Last he recalled he was running away from a very pissed off Kikyo, dodging arrows because at the time, his life very well depended on it!

His nose had picked up several different scents ahead, the strongest being that of human and youkai blood. He noted how Kagome was visibly tensing as they neared the exit of the forest, his own youkai blood roared in his ears to protect the woman once they were beyond the safety of the foliage. 'Something bad is up ahead,'

-X-

"Dance of the Dragon!" Kagura howled, twisting her fan between her fingers to let loose several tornados, all of which had missed their target. She grit her teeth in anger, her burning eyes watching the wretched Naraku dodge all of her attacks effortlessly.

"Now Kagura, is that all you have to show me? I had thought that you had grown stronger during my absence by your side. Apparently, I was wrong." Naraku sighed, eying her cruelly with his own heartless crimson orbs. He knew she hated him with a passion, ever since he had forced himself onto her.

"Why you disgusting filth, I'll have you eat your own words!" Kagura hissed, sending her Dance of Blades at him with her fan.

Bankotsu had darted his gaze between the two and frowned that much more as he caught Naraku watching her with lustily. "You bastard…" He muttered, attacking him with his Banryuu while Kouga did the same with Haruki.

Naraku snorted at the pathetic whelps, using So'ounga to block both their attacks with ease and push them back. He also had leapt back and curled his mouth back to chuckle darkly at their attempts, "Now I'll show you what true power is." He lifted his dark blade in the air, a ball of energy forming at the tip, "Dragon _Twister_!" He bellowed, throwing the attack at the four soldiers that stood in his way.

Ayame had gasped, and stood stock still as the attack neared her that much quicker. She had barely registered a dark blur of brown before being carried away to a safer spot. The wolf princess stared in amazement as Kouga pressed her down into the grass, his body covering hers as he got clipped by the edge of the attack. "K-Kouga-kun." She whispered hoarsely, earning a lop sided grin from him. She could see that he was in pain, but he stayed where he was, right until the end of the attack.

While they were mostly out of harms way, Bankotsu had been the one to go to Kagura's aid. She also remained very still, not able to register the amount of pure energy that was heading her way. She just couldn't bring herself to summon her feather to fly out of the way, heck she barely even noticed Bankotsu standing in front of her. But when she did, she had seen that he had sunk his Banryuu into the ground and grabbed her around her waist, holding her protectively as they stood behind his large demonic sword. She had struggled against him for a moment, but ceased when he spoke.

"Listen, I'm going to protect you because you are precious to Kagome. So stop moving!" He barked, his eyes widening as he began to feel the force of the attack hitting them. He figured his Banryuu could serve as a shield and that it would absorb a fair amount of the energy. Unfortunately, seeing as they were in the full blown centre of the attack, his Banryuu could only protect them so much before it was forcibly torn out of the ground and the two went cascading across the ground.

There was smoke and rubble everywhere, causing Bankotsu to cough weakly in an attempt to breathe. He was, after all, only human. His body had taken a fair amount of damage, some broken ribs and several bruises and cuts. Blood leaked out the side of his mouth and he spat the disgusting liquid to the side. His vision was blurry but he could manage, his eyes shifted to the side where he spotted Kagura also sitting up, though she looked a lot better than him.

The wind witch gently shook her head and studied her body, she had one gash across her shoulder, but that was it. It wasn't even that painful and she had no problems standing to her feet and attacking the ruthless youkai lord again. She had glanced to the side and shrivelled her face, "You idiot, you shouldn't have done that! Now you're injured." She growled at Bankotsu, simply earning a sheepish smile from him as he too stood up.

"Well if I hadn't done anything, you wouldn't be here right now, now would you?" He replied back, weakly grasping the handle of his Banryuu and heaving it over his shoulder. He lazily cracked his neck and spat more blood to the side, ignoring her blazing stare so that he could locate the two wolves. He and Kagura were shot back a fair distance away from the main battle, which meant that they needed to haul ass if they wanted to continue fighting against Naraku.

He had located Kouga and Ayame fighting against Naraku already ahead, and decided that he would join the fun also. With a quick wink at the fuming Kagura, he had sped across the land to go and lend a helping hand to the wolves, ignoring the excruciating pain from his broken ribs.

"So you survived after all," Naraku shook his head as he dodged the wolves attacks effortlessly. With one shove, he had forced them back with his bare hands, scratching them with his claws.

Kouga winced and grasped his upper right arm tightly, it burned and stung like a bitch for some reason and he glanced over briefly to examine it, 'Shit, poison claws.' He thought while clenching the handle of his blade tightly. "Ayame, are you okay?!"

The white wolf princess nodded weakly, "Poison claws… my side hurts but I can manage."

Kouga nodded and dashed towards Naraku again, 'Alright, no more holding back,' "Glimmer with light, Haruki." He whispered, his sword suddenly pulsing with a fiery brightness.

For a moment Naraku seemed amused at the wolf prince's attempts. His sword was also interesting, but he decided that is wasn't interesting enough to add to his collection after he slays the boy. He noticed that the same sword that he deemed unworthy of his attention was now shooting fireballs at him. With one quick swipe, he had used So'ounga to mutilate the fireballs and slice across Kouga's chest, sending him reeling backwards.

"Kouga-kun!" Ayame screeched.

Naraku revelled in the scream of horror and was rather surprised to find that Bankotsu and the fair Kagura had also survived his attack. He brushed away his mild shock and defended himself from the raging Bankotsu, the soldier striking his sword with a decent amount of force that he actually managed to push him back.

"Ku ku ku, so you've returned. This brings back fond memories of when I killed three of your precious brothers." He sneered, earning even more resistance from Bankotsu's blade.

"Don't you dare speak of them!" He growled, pressing his Banryuu further against So'ounga.

_"Why are you allowing this whelp to overwhelm you? Kill him already! I want his blood… give me his blood!" _

Bankotsu blinked back his shock and stared at Naraku's blade before pushing back against him and leaping away. "That thing just—that thing can speak?!" He asked incredulously.

Naraku merely frowned at his sword, he had thought that he had suppressed the blades voice with his aura. "Hm? So you're still able to speak? I'll just have to fix that."

_"Do not silence—"_

It had been done, Naraku had used his malicious aura and overpowered the sword with little difficulty, sighing lightly as he felt it vibrate in anger. "I hardly enjoy being ordered around by some object."

"Looks like somebody doesn't like you," Bankotsu mocked, earning dark glares from the youkai lord. In seconds Naraku had blurred and disappeared from where he was standing only to reappear behind Bankotsu, walking away with So'ounga resting against his shoulder. It had taken a moment to register, but when he had, Bankotsu had felt and watched blood splatter in the air. A long gash spread across his chest in a similar fashion to Kouga's, his blue eyes dulling as he fell to his knees a then on his back.

"Naraku!" Ayame seethed, her white fur coated in Kouga's blood. She had run towards him and unsheathed her sword, about to summon it until she felt immense pain across her back.

He no longer stood in front of her, but behind her with his So'ounga coated in their blood and resting lazily against his shoulder. The only one left was his dear dear Kagura, the woman he had broken so long ago. She looked positively frightened when he approached her slowly, but he had to give her some credit for putting up a small fight against him. Too bad her fan was completely useless against him.

"You bastard," Kagura grounded out, desperately trying to cut him with her dance of blades. It wasn't working though and soon, she felt his hand grasp her around her neck and lift her into the air. She was choking and tried to claw at his hands to let her go, muffled cries escaping her lips as she felt her lungs burn for oxygen.

"I'm so glad you came, now I can finally kill you with my own hands." Naraku purred, grasping her throat more tightly, earning even more unpleasant sounds from her lips. He could feel her life slipping away slowly, and smirked as the light in her eyes began to dim. "Goodbye, Wind Witch."

A long gash had been cut from his right shoulder cross to his lower left side, blood spilling from his wounds like acid as it hit the ground and burned the dirt. His crimson eyes widened as he watched the Wind Witch escape from his grasp and stared hopelessly down at his feet, blue electric energy crackling beneath him before a screeching dragon engulfed his body.

Golden eyes observed with mild satisfaction as his dragon howled and ripped at Naraku's body mercilessly. Soon he had turned his eyes down to the woman in his arms breathing hoarsely and glancing at him thankfully. "Your companions are on the outskirts of the forest, all alive." He spoke, mentally smirking as the woman in his arms flushed with embarrassment.

"Th-they are not my companions! Especially that human whelp!" She hissed, shoving herself away from him and his tantalizing eyes, her heart racing slightly as her hand brushed against his.

"No matter, you will remain out of my way. This Sesshoumaru is to do battle with Naraku on his own." The silver haired man muttered, glancing back at his dissolving dragon, noting that Naraku's body was simmering.

"Sesshoumaru?" Kagura repeated in a low whisper, 'As in, Sesshoumaru-sama, Lord of the West?' She thought, admiring his strong stance.

It was obvious that she was standing there, gawking at him like a fool. He didn't even spare her a glance and said, "Leave this place if you do not wish to die."

Kagura nodded numbly and stared out at the battlefield, finally noticing that they had reinforcements. Dog demons, hundreds and hundreds of dog demon soldiers were helping them fight against the soldiers of the undead. The seal that had kept the underworld safely locked was now broken and more soldiers continuously pooled into the field. She wasn't worried because for now, they had help to keep them at bay.

The Wind Witch had backed away slowly, then moved completely out of the way to check on the others to make sure they really were alive. She was almost positive they were dead with fatal slashes adorning their chest and back, yet here she was, standing in front of them and there were no wounds at all. Only blood coated their clothes, just blood.. Even Bankotsu, a human, didn't even have a scratch on him.

"..What?" Kagura observed them and turned briefly to find that Sesshoumaru was indeed fighting Naraku. 'Did he heal them?' She thought.

Sesshoumaru-sama's gaze never wavered as he pushed his Tokijin further against Naraku's So'ounga. His eyes narrowed when he felt a new presence approach, his senses telling him to be well alert. Shoving back, he growled at Naraku who merely smiled, his body showing no more damage than that in which was inflicted upon him before Sesshoumaru's dragon had engulfed him. 'My Souryuha barely burned him..' He thought to himself.

Naraku laughed loudly, "Did you think that you could defeat me with something as weak at an ogre blade? Please, you're hardly strong enough to fight against me, Sesshoumaru. You haven't even come close to your father's power yet, and I was the one that killed him! Do you think you have a chance against me?" He held out his left hand, a woman appearing next to him and placing what looked like a gem in his palm.

"My apologies for taking so long," Tsubaki deeply bowed in respect.

"Ah, my thanks little witch." He said, the jewel instantly turning black upon touching his palm. "And now I have the Shikon as well as So'ounga. Nothing can stop me from ruling this realm as well as that of the dead." He chuckled, the wound on his chest healing completely in seconds.

Sesshoumaru grunted, grasping Tokijin tightly, "You dare reveal my fathers death as your doing?" His youki flared dangerously, "I will not tolerate this insolence, especially from a lowlife spider youkai."

Naraku frowned, "Tsubaki, make yourself useful and kill the miko before she gets here."

"Hai, my lord." She bowed and disappeared with a shimmer.

"You are mine, Sesshoumaru-sama." Naraku pointed his blade at Sesshoumaru, a crazed smile placing itself on his lips.

-X-

The powerful priestess leading the hanyou had suddenly ceased her movements, holding her arms out to stop the Inu hanyou from bumping into her. Her blue eyes darted around the greenery suspiciously, her aura growing to form a protective shield around herself. She had momentarily glanced back at Inuyasha to see if he too could feel something different, which he did since his ears would not cease their movements and his orbs also kept darting around wearily.

A growl escaped his lips as he kept his guard up, his hands on Tessaiga's handle to release the fang when needed. He had caught Kagome's gaze for a moment before looking around again, "There's somethin' crawlin' around here." He muttered between growls.

She could feel the sudden increase in power beyond the woods, a heavy shiver tingling down and back up her spine frightfully. She knew that it meant that he had the Shikon in his grasp, he now held the most powerful object ever to be created and it was her fault. She should have killed Kikyo when she the chance, then none of this would have happened. 'No, despite the darkness that clouds over Kikyo, I could never kill her.' Kagome thought sadly. 'Nevertheless, now isn't the best time to be thinking about this. Tsubaki is near by, and she apparently is much stronger than I suspected.'

The sounds of grass crunching caused his ears to twitch back, 'There's an animal... Not a rabbit, definitely not a deer.' He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sounds and movements it was making, considering it a threat if it neared them. 'It's slithering around, almost like a…' Inuyasha noticed that the heavy aura coating Kagome like fog wouldn't be much protection. She needed to put up a barrier to protect herself while he took care of the danger, but he knew she wouldn't.

A loud hissing noise had just barely caught him by surprise, the suspected animal charging full force towards Kagome, its fangs bared as it intended to sink them into her flesh. The six foot snake had bounded off the ground with ease, now in midair to Kagome's left side about to bite the woman and finally succeed in killing her.

"Kago—"

"_Oh please_," Kagome muttered, hardly even pooling power into her left hand and smacking away the snake with ease. Her blue orbs watched as the cursed thing had been struck back at its master standing just a few yards away, Tsubaki.

"—No! How could you deflect my curse—!" Tsubaki hardly had any time to finish her sentence as the snake entered her right eye, causing the woman to shriek in pain. She clawed at her face and screamed about her beauty being ruined before her skin began to dry out and droop weakly. "N-noo! M-my face! This wasn't supposed to happen—M-my face!" A blue scar spread itself from her right eye to across her face, the sagging skin now drying out even further until her eyes turned lifeless and she dropped to the ground.

Inuyasha gawked at her, turning to look where the woman once stood and back at Kagome. He hadn't expected her to have such amazing reflexes like that, especially after her little encounter with the barrier that made her bounce back. He just remained silent and then followed her towards the dead body, assuming that she was going to check it to make sure she was dead.

Once she stood in front of it, the remainder of the body had crumpled and turned to dust, leaving behind nothing but clothes and a necklace. 'A necklace?' Kagome mentally inquired, gently picking up the chain.

"Isn't that the Shikon?" Inuyasha asked her, his confusion very apparent.

She studied the purplish jewel that hung on the chain and delicately touched it with one finger, the ball cracking and shattering under her immense spiritual powers. "No, this is a fake Jewel. But it did have some form of power to it, which explains how she managed to get through my barrier."

"She used the fake Jewel to boost her powers," Inuyasha nodded now fully understanding the situation.

"Hai, lets just hope that there aren't too many of these fakes created." She sighed, turning to continue what was left of their journey to exit the woods. She wasn't surprised about how silent he had gotten, especially with all the different power signatures ahead of them. One of them in the mix had shocked her slightly, and she didn't need Inuyasha's nose to know that the field was now flooded with Inu youkai bravely fighting along side them.

When she arrived at the out skirts with Inuyasha, she couldn't help but gasp at the sight before her. There was blood, lots of blood, coating the field thickly. Humans littered the grounds along side of ookami's. She could see that Totosai had reached his limit and was now off safely to the side with some Taijiya that were attempting to catch their breath while Inu youkai fought. She had easily spotted Sesshoumaru battling against Naraku, proving to be an excellent match in skill and speed.

The woman had noticed some of her friends leaning up against trees, soaked in their own blood. They were the same friends that had ushered her away to stop the Jewel from being taken so easily. She bravely held back her tears while she approached them, Kagura greeting her with a nod, "Are they—?"

"No," She answered quickly, "They are healed, just unconscious."

Kagome nodded, "Did—Was Naraku the cause of this?"

"He's powerful, and now he's even stronger with the Shikon jewel." Kagura shook her head sadly and turned to the battlefield, "Look Kagome-chan, I'll watch over them. The others in battle need your help more than here. The gates are open again and it won't be long before the soldiers are overcome again."

Kagome had glanced back at Inuyasha, the hanyou having already unleashed his Tessaiga to aid his brother. She had mentally smiled as the two dog demons fought against Naraku, happy that they had at least enough resolve not to bicker at a time like this. "Alright, I'll go see about eliminating some of the undead. Please protect them."

"Do you even have to ask?" Kagura smirked, opening her fan and readying herself for any movements from the dead soldiers.

Kagome laughed lightly, her smiling face covered by her large beige scarf as she darted towards the battled field faster than Kagura had ever seen her run. She had literally disappeared and reappeared in the centre of the grounds, a hand seal already formed.

"Metal Release: Piercing Claws." She muttered, a white kanji symbol forming in front of her. She was well aware that some of the Inu youkai were watching her curiously and she could have sworn she saw the hairs on all their necks stiffen when a piercing roar sounded through the field. A large white tiger stepped out of the symbol, its body glowing a blinding white until suddenly, what looked like metal spikes, were emerging from the ground. This had formed a tall wall separating a fair amount of the undead soldiers from the rest of the men.

She had kept that seal in motion behind her while performing another hand sign, "Fire Release: Blazing Phoenix!" She bellowed, the fire kanji symbol crackling next to the metal kanji. She had a bit of difficulty holding the kanji, but only for a moment since she wasn't quite used to balancing two at the same time yet.

It wasn't long before the screeching Phoenix escaped the kanji and set forth a path towards the undead. Most of the soldiers, along with the actual gates, were on the same side as Kagome and thus her flaming feathery friend had been able to easily rid them of a large chunk of enemies. The bird had engulfed them in its flames as it circled them quickly, creating a small firestorm that soon spread into a large tornado of burning hot flames.

Kagome panted a bit while she kept her eyes focused ahead, making absolute sure not to harm any friendly's mixed in with the bad guys. The tornado itself reached above and beyond the height of the metallic wall she set in place to separate everyone safely, the flames licking her cheeks harmlessly while all the zombie men burned up into nothing but ashes. The vortex had even managed to overlap the gates and suck out some of the men, also turning them to ashes before they even set foot in the land of the living.

Once she was positive they were all gone, she had released the Phoenix, the bird screeching loudly to strike fear into its foes before re-entering the kanji, the tornado disappearing the moment the kanji faded away. Kagome had noticed the Inu men staring at her fondly, admiring her courage and power while the woman panted and then released the metal element. The white tiger had entered the metal kanji, the metallic spikes now descending back into the ground while fading. She intended to have them disappear since she would rather not have a wall of metal blocking the view of the gates.

Kagome dropped to one knee, panting heavily at the amount of power she just exhausted. She knew that she probably just wiped out about fifteen hundred undead in one shot, and that thought alone made her stand once again to continue on. "The gates are still open! More men will be rising soon enough, be prepared!" She ordered them, knowing they'd listen now that she had proven she wasn't just some measly little miko.

Now that she bought everyone a fair amount of time to rest easy, she turned to see what remainder of zombie men were left fighting against the other half of the army of allies. There weren't very many, maybe five hundred or so were still kicking. She scanned the area and found that most of the humans that were still alive were set aside to take a breath and gather their bearings. Among them she was relieved to see Miroku and Sango coupled with Kirara and Shippou. Though she didn't spot any of her Heavenly Guardians and assumed they were still fighting. 'Except Bankotsu,' She mentally added.

She had grasped the handle of her sword, the vibrating handle calming her racing heartbeat for only a moment while she contemplated her next move.

_'Go to them, the brothers need help_.'

'I don't want to get in their way, Kazekami.' She returned the thought.

_'I wouldn't worry woman.'_

She lightly laughed, 'Of course you wouldn't.'

"Kagome-sama-a-_aaaa_!" A minute irritable voice whined from Kagome's shoulder.

She raised her brows at the flea bounding on her armoured shoulder, not even noticing him up until now. The roars of battle weren't very quiet and she had been speaking with her blade, her attention completely on it until Myoga's pleas finally caught her notice. "Myoga-jiji? It's odd seeing your face in the midst of this war."

The flea crossed his arms over his podgy belly at the insult, "Myou…I-I know when it's time to fi-fight! I am no coward Kagome-sama!"

"Of course not," She muttered sarcastically, smirking behind her scarf. "Why are you here?"

"The sword So'ounga has been released--!" He let out a feeble screech as a soldier came forward towards Kagome, the woman quickly purifying it before it caused any harm.

"I am well aware of that," She replied, purifying another that had strayed from the Inu youkai. Reinforcements from the under world had yet to rise, she figured it was due to the fact that her vortex had sucked out most of the ones that had been from half way through the stair case to enter their world.

"Y-yes well you need to destroy it in order to close the gates! Myou…" Myoga continued, letting out even more cries as several other zombie men took notice to her and drew towards her.

"Right, I'll get onto that." Kagome purified more men with her bare hands.

Myoga wiped the sweat from his head, "B-but there's only one way to destroy it--! Myou…"

"Oh glorious," Kagome grunted while dissolving another enemy. "Do tell."

-X-

Two blades clashed together, both equally powerful and equally demonic. The sinister Great Youkai Lord Naraku chuckled in amusement at the stony faced Lord Sesshoumaru. The dog demon merely growled and pushed further against So'ounga with Tokijin, his blade crackling with blue lightning against the purple vapour. Whirlwinds of demon aura enveloped the both of them as they battled, both trying to overcome the other in power.

Silver hair floated gently off his back, his furry boa-like tail also tussling against the winds. His eyes flashed crimson for a moment before returning to their stunning emotionless amber orbs, glaring at Naraku's crazed features. "Surrender my father's sword, or be destroyed," Sesshoumaru-sama seethed pushing more against the So'ounga.

Naraku rolled his eyes, "Oh please. We all know that I'm its true wielder, your father was just reluctant to give it to me." His stare darkened for a moment, "You know, Inu no Taisho screamed and begged for me to spare his pathetic life."

The dog demon snarled and shoved Naraku back viciously, "My father would do no such _thing_." He held out his blade and summoned his electric blue dragon, sending the attack at the dark demon.

He hadn't dodged the dragon, but instead left it to attack him. What would have vanquished an army had not even bruised Naraku, though his armour had taken a bit of a beating. Besides that, he was perfectly fine and laughing hysterically at Sesshoumaru-sama's weak attempts at killing him, "As I said before, no weak ogre blade can hurt me." He walked through the Souryuha attack slowly, paying no mind to the devastation it was doing to his surroundings while still boasting a wild smile.

"_Then try this on for size, Kaze no _Kizu_!" _

Naraku turned his head to the side, his lips suddenly twisting down into a frown as four streams of light shot at him and overwhelmed him.

Clouds of smoke blocked his figure from view, the Souryuha having caused clouds of rubble and dust to have risen. One lone silver ear twitched, bright red sleeves slowly coming into view, while clawed hands gripped onto the great fang of destruction. More of his body came into view, the boy holding the blade grinning toothily at the other silver haired man.

"Hey there, Sesshoumaru." He chuckled, swinging the Tessaiga over to rest on his shoulder.

The youkai lord snorted, "Inuyasha."

An outraged roar drew the brother's attention back to the streams of light that were now clearing, revealing a very angry Naraku. The said man glared intensively at Inuyasha, his face now finally marring a single long gash along the right side, stretching from his forehead past his eye and cheek down towards his jaw.

"You," He growled, the So'ounga pulsing warningly in his grip. "How could you do this to me?!" He gestured towards the bleeding mark on his face.

'Damnit, I thought that would kill him.' Inuyasha mentally swore, readying his sword in front of him once more, "Yeah well there's more where that came from." He boasted, his blade pulsing as proof of his statement.

Sesshoumaru frowned at his half brothers sword, and then stared down at his own. 'The Tessaiga in the hands of that fool proved to be more useful than this Sesshoumaru's own blade. How is that possible?'

Naraku growled, his eyes flaring with crimson and amethyst while the So'ounga's youki intensified. "I'd like to see you survive this, boy!" He summoned the dragons from hell, reeling them at Inuyasha. "Dragon _Twister_."

Inuyasha's eyes widened, 'Shit!' But he held his ground and clutched onto the Tessaiga that much harder. "Don't think that this can do anything to me either," He wiped away his surprise and replaced it with laughter, "Bakuryuu_ha_!"

Bursts of bright yellowish light swallowed the dark purple ball of energy, reversing the flow instantly. Three large twisters of light directed themselves back to the original wielder, red eyes widening at the unexpected resistance the boy put up. Soon Naraku was attempting to dodge the attack, moving backwards speedily and then sideways. Alas, he was too late to dodge the last spiral of light and was caught within its clutches.

Sesshoumaru observed quietly while leaping out of harms way when needed to. He knew that this wasn't over just yet, despite the fair amount of power his brother had. 'The So'ounga cannot be so easily beaten..' He thought just as the twisters were clearing, revealing a purple orbs that floated midair and descended until it touched the ground. Upon touching the surface, it had dissolved and divulged a slightly panting Naraku with a blood soaked left arm.

"You.. boy. How do you know of that ability?!" Naraku howled with anger.

Inuyasha snorted, "Don't underestimate me just 'cause I'm a hanyou, you bastard."

"Why you.." Naraku cursed, feeling his blade pulse angrily as well between his fingers. "I'll kill you.. Just like I killed that fool Inu no Taisho, only this time I have the pleasure of using So'ounga to stab you in the back."

Both brothers growled in unison upon the mention of their father. Sesshoumaru being the first to react by moving himself swiftly forward, using his demonic speed to swipe at Naraku with Tokijin. "You filth," He spat.

Inuyasha also shot forward, bringing his Tessaiga down onto the So'ounga alongside Sesshoumaru's Tokijin. That movement alone caused Naraku to be pushed back severely, a blinding light impairing everyone's sight at they were forced to separate. All of them had bounced back, every blade letting off small amount of searing smoke. 'Tessaiga?' Inuyasha's amber orbs glanced down briefly to survey the damage.

'Tokijin, it seems that you are of no use to me..' Sesshoumaru-sama thought, staring at his reflection boredly in the sword before sheathing it. His claws glowed a greenish light as he prepared to use his poisonous claws for what other weapon could he use? Certainly not his Tensaiga, the sword of healing.

"Enough of this," Naraku muttered, his form pulsing visibly while pools of vapour leaked from his body. He knew they were staring at him strangely and decided to smile darkly, feeling the power of the Sacred Jewel now pulse to life through his veins.

A soft glow of light had caught Inuyasha's attention, the light coming from Naraku's centre. 'That's gotta be the Sacred Jewel. That thing is making him stronger by the second!' He thought with alarm, 'We have to take him out before he gets too strong.' He sent Sesshoumaru a glance and then set out with Tessaiga again.

"Kaze no Kizu!"

"Doukasou!"

A dark barrier had blocked the attacks, Naraku having not even lifted a finger for it to do so. He let out a maniac laughter while the jewel pulsed within him, his eyes glowing completely amethyst, his injured face healing itself as well as his left arm. "Useless! You can't defeat me!" He swiped his claws, successfully mutilating their attacks.

"Now, I do urge you to die." He swiped his blade again, creating the Dragon Twister, However this time, it was at least thrice the size of the usual attack.

'Shit,' Inuyasha mentally cursed, eying Sesshoumaru. 'He can't make it if I don't do anything. But I don't know if my Backlash wave will be enough to deflect it.' He readied himself, watching the mass of dark energy come at him fiercely. 'No sense in not tryin'!'

Inuyasha dashed towards the oncoming attack, ignoring Naraku's sinister laugh and concentrating solely on his own strength. The warmth the Tessaiga provided encouraged him further as he leapt into the air and swung his sword at the mass of twisting energy with the heads of hellish dragons. "Take this! Bakuryuu_ha_!"

For a moment, it seemed to work. The yellowish light had swallowed the purple energy like it had last time, except that this time it was to a certain extent. His golden Inu eyes blinked in wonder as his work began to be reversed, the yellow light trying its best to overpower the purple glow. 'Damnit damnit damnit!' Demonic winds pushed him back in midair, causing him to propel backwards far past Sesshoumaru. He shouted in alarm, the thrust of winds having increased his speed until he was low enough to slide across the ground and tumble in a messy heap.

Tessaiga drifted from his grip, the blade transforming back into a rusty katana by his hand. Blood pooled inside his mouth and escaped either sides of his lips, small scratches and bruises adorning his body. Inuyasha groaned loudly, digging his claws into the ground to push himself up. However he didn't have enough time before he noticed the Dragon Twister coming his way, the attack having actually over power the Backlash Wave somehow.

He gasped, the dragonheads nearing him while he laid on the ground. 'I have a feeling this is going to hurt..' He thought, groping around for the Tessaiga. Bright purple light blinded him and he prepared himself for the pain he was about to receive, now gripping the Tessaiga and transforming it.

'Shit..'

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**A/N Alright! There you have it! So the next chapter will be out pretty soon. Sorry for the immense delay on this one. A lot of stuff went down Wednesday (my indoor cat got outside and she was missing for twelve hours) plus I was then kidnapped by my dad and brother Thursday morning until Friday night (out on the road, moving stuff to my other house, crazy long story..). If it wasn't for all that happening, I would have updated a lot sooner. So there we go! Thank you all for your reviews and I look forward to hearing more from you guys! R&R**

**Glossary**

**Inuyasha's attacks:**

**Kaze no Kizu – Wind Scar  
Bakuryuuha – Backlash Wave**

**Sesshoumaru-sama's attacks:**

**Souryuha – Dragon Strike  
****Doukasou – Poison Claws**

**Jak: Man! I'm not in this one either! What is wrong with you?! YOU PROMISED!**

**Moi: Ehehehehehe? I'm sorry, but I had to make Inuyasha have a descent portion of this chapter plus you were sorta mentioned! So there!!!**

**Jak: -eye twitches-**

**Moi: Ahhhhhhh, -points- LOOK! It's Kouga and Miroku! Their making out!**

**Jak: As if I would fall for that again! –rolls eyes-**

**Mir: Oooooh Kouga!!**

**Kou: Ungnn Miroku!!**

**Jak: Wait, what?! –turns and looks- -see's Shippou with leaf on his head-**

**Moi: Thanks Shippou! –runs-**

**Jak: You.. You transformed into them and… Grah!! –turns around, author is gone- GET BACK HERE YOU BIT— BEEEEEEEEP**

**R&R**


	17. Winding Down

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha … But I wish I did … Sexy man …**

**Authors Note: -big smile- I hope you guys like this chapter! And Yes, some things were taken from the Third movie, but just some small pieces. No biggie, right?**

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**Forest of Purity**

_Last Time:_

_He gasped, the dragonheads nearing him while he laid on the ground. 'I have a feeling this is going to hurt..' He thought, groping around for the Tessaiga. Bright purple light blinded him and he prepared himself for the pain he was about to receive, now gripping the Tessaiga and transforming it._

'_Shit..'_

**Chapter 17. Winding Down**

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His heart skipped a beat, his breath coming out in a short puff as he mulled over one final idea to protect himself. Wrapping a free clawed hand around his sheath, he withdrew it from the belt of his pant, moving it ahead of his figure before the attack struck. He grunted at the shear force, squinting his eyes due to the immense brightness of light, 'D-damn… it…' He was forced down to his knees, but nonetheless kept a firm hold on the black sheath, its blue barrier just barely keeping the Dragon Twister from ripping him limb from limb.

'Don't fail me now,' The hanyou thought, another grunt escaping his clenched fangs. A silver ear twitched delicately, a cracking sound drawing his golden orbs up despite the brightness around him. 'Sh-shit, it's breaking-!' He thought in alarm. Intense winds fought against him, willing him to be pushed back and torn to pieces. He gripped the Tessaiga tightly, the Inu hanyou burning with stubbornness. 'I won't let him win, I _won't_.'

The final and most forceful amount of energy had struck him, forcing the hanyou back by several feet, his knees dragging in the rough soil. He just barely managed to stand up, his sheath still protectively in front of him while he did so as the attack was now just coming to an end. Once the final whirlwind of power had passed him by, he didn't hesitate to place his sheath back in his belt and move forward, Tessaiga ready by his side. He surveyed the damage for a single moment, mentally grinning upon seeing his older half brother using the Tensaiga in the same manner as he did.

Inuyasha chuckled, dashing out from the protection of the smoke to lunge at Naraku, the youkai actually surprised to see him. "Naraku!" He clashed his sword against the demon's while in mid air, being easily shoved back by him.

"Half breed… I'm going to assume that damned sword had something to do with this." He snarled, swinging the So'ounga at the hanyou, their blades yet again clashing.

He merely grinning haughtily, "Whatcha gunna do about it? Send your discount army to get me? Take a look, I'd say they're having a pretty tough time getting by the priestess." As he said this, Naraku had looked over to see said miko using her powers to create an enormous tornado of fire.

"Damn her…" He grumbled, turning his amethyst orbs back onto the hanyou with a glare. "I'll kill you, then I'll kill her." He vowed, pushing Inuyasha back again and slashing at him repeatedly. He cackled maniacally, his sword striking the Tessaiga violently until it was finally knocked away and he drew blood from the hanyou.

Inuyasha let a small gasp escape his lips, his body backing away slightly before he leapt back. The slash had mostly been across his shoulder, blood quickly draining form the wound and staining his crimson haorie. 'Fan-fucking-tastic,' He thought, just scarcely moving away while Naraku approached him again with So'ounga.

"What's wrong Inuyasha?" Naraku once again began to violently strike the Tessaiga, the blade whining in protest.

A green glow of light was all Inuyasha had as a warning to back off, the hanyou leaping back to let Sesshoumaru take over with his poison claws. Inuyasha's feet lightly touched the ground, the boy landing in a crouch and coughing up blood. He chose to turn to see how Kagome was doing, somewhat happy to finally be able to see the woman. She was standing in the field that had been cleared of zombie warriors, her metal wall down and the inferno gone. 'I have to say, she kinda looks like a goddess, standin' like that with her scarf blowing back.' Inuyasha thought, glancing back at his brother and foe.

'Sesshoumaru needs my help, he can't beat this guy without a sword.' He decided, break time now being over. 'He better get outta my way…' His sword glowed and pulsed, the hanyou dashing forward with the Tessaiga held back, "Kaze no Kizu!!" He swung it forward, four long streams of light digging across the ground and colliding against the So'ounga.

The Dog Demon Lord had not hesitated to shoot a menacing glare at Inuyasha as he landed next to him, "How dare you interfere." He growled coolly.

He rolled his eyes, "Oh please, I've been 'interfering' for a damn while." He mocked, chuckling at the next round of glares his brother sent him while he took off ahead to strike against Naraku. "Cry baby," Inuyasha muttered, following after him.

"Your attempts are useless," Naraku purred, purple clouds of miasma now escaping his body. As smoke flowed, the Shikon no Tama pulsed with a dark energy informing them of the power he was using. The dark youkai tisked them, the dog demons backing away quickly to escape the effects of the miasma.

Inuyasha placed a red sleeve over his delicate nose, his head already feeling dizzy. "Miasma?! You've got to be kiddin' me!" He yelled, the thick clouds dispersing into the air.

Even Sesshoumaru, a demon equipped with poisonous attacks, was having a hard time fighting off the lightheaded feeling that washed over him.

While the two stumbled awkwardly, Naraku had decided to end things now while he had the upper hand. He had formed yet again and hopefully for the final time, the Dragon Twister, not hesitating to using the Shikon to increase his power.

Inuyasha's eyes widened, 'Shit, I don't think Tessaiga's sheath could even take another blow of this, much less something more powerful!' He dropped his sleeve and reached for the black scabbard, withdrawing it in an attempt to shield himself.

"D-damn—!" The attack hit, and burned his skin. He let out a long shriek of pain, his clothes tearing in various places, his gash elongating from his shoulder, down across his chest.

Bright streams of light had clouded his vision, his ears straining to listen to something coming from the side. He also heard another crack from the scabbard, his barrier completely failing him now. He shut his eyes and waited for the rest of the blow to rip him apart, the pain already feeling pretty unbearable. His body fell backwards and collided roughly with the ground, the sudden winds dying down sharply as he hit the ground.

"Inuyasha!"

He grunted in response, his clouded vision not helping in the least bit along with the ringing noise in his sensitive ears. He knew that he was bleeding quite a bit, his muscle also felt beyond sore and his head just plain hurt like a bitch. 'Bitch.. hey speakin' of which…' He blinked several times, an image of a gorgeous raven haired woman with glowing sky blue eyes staring down at him worriedly. "Hey Gome, whydya look so scared?" He half slurred, laughing sheepishly at her.

Kagome frowned and pursed her lips, "Obviously you haven't seen yourself! What were you thinking?! Why didn't you get out of the way you blockhead!" She yelled angrily, ignoring the fact that he was wincing and pinning his ears against his head. In no time at all he was sitting up as if nothing happened, and growling like a rabid dog.

"What was that bitch?! If ya didn't happen to notice its size, then I wouldn't be _having_ this problem! Who asked you anyways?! We're just doing damn well fine without you bein' involved, wench!" He barked back, crossing his arms and glaring daggers at her. Never mind the fact that Naraku was laying in a heap several yards away, his body smoking from the apparent strike Kagome had done to dissolve the Dragon Twister.

"Wench?! I'll have you know _mutt_ that if it weren't for me you'd be dead by now!" She hurled back at him, her powers angrily crackling around her. She stood up and walked over to the abandoned Tessaiga behind the hanyou, picking it up and tossing it to him.

He effortlessly caught it, transforming it into its glorious fanged size. He pierced the ground with it and used it to anchor him to stand, removing it and then settling the fang on his shoulder. Of course Sesshoumaru was once again completely fine from the attack, the haughty bastard still standing as if nothing happened to him. However if you squinted enough, you could see the smoke lifting from his body, proving that he really wasn't as indestructible as he always tended to make himself out to be.

"As if I'd let an asswipe like him take me down so easily!" The hanyou snorted, "Shouldn't you be helping out the less fortunate? What the hell are you doing here buggin' us!"

Her face flushed in anger, the woman hardly used to being so angry at such a wrong time, "I _am_ helping the less fortunate," She hissed. "The only way for you to defeat him is to first destroy the So'ounga."

"Right, I'll get onto that." He began to walk forward, ignoring the various stinging pains he could feel throughout his body. Inuyasha definitely didn't want to show the woman that he was in pain since he already had a bruised ego to deal with. Sending glares at the rising Naraku, he readied himself by holding out the Tessaiga and engulfing it with his aura. 'Here we go.'

Kagome growled at his ignorance and ran up to him slowly, unsheathing her Kazekami in the process. Undoubtedly she felt him shoot glares at her and simply paid no attention to them, "Listen you silly boy, there is only one way to destroy So'ounga," She began while observing the other Inu demon standing a fair distance away from them. She knew he was listening also since he had so cleverly tilted his head slightly backwards. However no one else would have suspected he was even giving her the time of day.

"The only way to destroy it is with the combination of the Sword of the Earth and the Sword of the Heavens." She told him, earning a confused mumble from the male beside her. "You know the So'ounga is the Sword of the Underworld." She stated and he nodded in response, "Well, the Tessaiga is known as the Fang of Destruction and also the Sword of Earth. While the Tensaiga is the Fang of Healing and also the Sword of the Heavens." She explained now finally seeing recognition cross over his face. "Understand?"

"Damn! My old man had all these swords… I get it. But I don't think Sesshoumaru is going to use the Tensaiga any time soon besides to protect himself. He wants the So'ounga and its power." Inuyasha muttered with a lingering growl.

"Enough of this," Naraku cut in, tilting his head to the side, an audible crack sounding through their part of the broken up clearing. "You, woman, have been a thorn in my side for the longest time."

"I'm sorry to hear that my presence displeases you, Naraku-sama." She snapped back sarcastically, her words dripping with venom. Her clear winded blade vibrated with a similar anger, though only she could see it.

Naraku chuckled darkly, holding out his free hand before him. Kagome had noted that the Shikon was now pulsing erratically while a ball of demonic aura formed in his palm. He had had enough of this woman interfering, and enough with the insolent Inu demons taking up his precious time when he could be ruling all of Japan right this moment. The ball of demonic aura grew larger with each dark thought he was conjuring of his foes, his form also surrounding itself with a deadly miasma aura.

"I won't let you finish that!" Kagome bellowed, running forward with the utmost speed she had. She had swung her Kazekami at the orb, her blade piercing the thing in half. Though the power did not dissipate, instead it merely grew larger until it blew the priestess away with a large explosion. She let out a surprised scream while her body was flung back like a rag doll, already having passed Inuyasha several seconds ago judging by how loud his voice was booming and calling out to her. She had weakly manoeuvred her Kazekami and created gusts of wind to help make her landing more gentle, which it had.

She groaned weakly and sat up in the dirt, her clothes and her skin caked in dirt, blood, and sweat. She really hated her life at the moment and half wished that she could have been born a normal woman instead of some great priestess warrior. 'I-I've been blown a heck of a distance away f-from them,' She thought with a slur, her head hurting in many places. She placed a delicate hand against her forehead, wincing when she felt a sticky liquid substance. Pulling her hand down to eye it she grimaced at the sight of her own blood, feeling the substance drip down past her eye and cheek until it dripped from her chin onto her beige scarf.

'_It could have been worse. If it weren't for your newfound strength, you probably would have died._' The mental voice of Kazekami tried to sooth her.

'G-great.' She tried to focus her sight on what laid ahead, her vision a bit blurry. Soon, it cleared and she could now see her red clad half demon friend battling ferociously against Naraku. 'I need to help.' She thought, standing to her feet slowly.

'_If you keep going on, you'll kill yourself.' _

'As long as he dies, I don't care. Naraku must not remain in this world any longer.' Kagome replied smoothly, trudging forward slowly. She winced as her ankle refused to let her go on so easily. Kazekami had strictly said that she shouldn't put pressure on it, but she didn't listen. "I'm far too st-stubborn not to go on, KazeKamiii.." She slurred, closing her eyes to focus her power.

She sheathed her sword and form a hand sign, 'Watch and learn,' She smirked, "Metal Release: Byakko, White Tiger to the West."

-X-

Inuyasha howled in anger, striking Naraku in a constant manner without giving him a chance to form another of his strange power spheres. At least, he had hoped. His… His Kagome could be fatally injured and dying right now, all because of Naraku! The bastard was going to pay for this, he would fall and die by the hanyou's sword. 'How dare he! Kagome!' He thought, not holding back a single ounce of anger that flooded his system and made his blood boil.

He could feel it, the feeling of his inner demon trying to claw its way out of him to have a piece of Naraku for himself. Sesshoumaru wasn't even attempting to help in any way, instead he just stood and watch with no sign of emotion flickering across his features. The cold bastard didn't care about Kagome, hell he barely cared for someone of his own blood! 'I'll kill him! I'll kill him!' Inuyasha's thoughts kept repeating, sometimes a deeper, and darker voice adding to his thoughts with a feral growl.

'**Blood, blood!' **

He wasn't aware that jagged purple stripes now adorned his facial features, nor was he aware of the lengthening of his claws and fangs. He just knew that he really wanted to kill Naraku, to the point where he was willing to loose himself just to be able to cover his claws with his blood.

"Oh? I have upset you?" Naraku sneered, his heartless manner only adding fuel to Inuyasha's anger. "I bet that she's finally dead. That woman never stood a chance against me anyways, just like you." He added, slashing his sword against the Tessaiga roughly.

"You're a dead man!" Inuyasha snarled, clashing his sword with Naraku in hopes of at least cracking it.

"Hardly." He rolled his eyes.

Sesshoumaru still watched them with the same cold face he always had, his fingers brushing against Tensaiga's handle with a slight temptation. He knew that everything relied on them now, on destroying the So'ounga. That woman had said so herself except that he didn't want it gone. He wanted it, with all its unique attributes, he needed it to surpass their father. 'To destroy it would mean its power being lost forever.' His thoughts mused, 'To wield it, would bring destruction on this earth.'

'Perhaps, some things were never meant to be.' His golden gaze flickered to his brother, and the slow growing aura that surrounded him.

He was having difficulties concentrating, the constant voices in his head demanding for blood and for Naraku's head on a stick. He just couldn't bring himself to ignore the voice while battling for his life. The Tessaiga hardly helped in any way with his issues and he somewhat wished that Sesshoumaru would actually snap out of his cold hard ass attitude and at least use his Doukasou once in a while.

**'Blood! Shed his blood! I want it…'**

Inuyasha winced and pressed further against Naraku, his feet digging more and more into the dirt to push him back. The Tessaiga was emitting a low whining cry of protest against So'ounga, in which he was more than happy to finally power up. Maybe a direct impact from the Windscar could cause a chip in the So'ounga.

"What's wrong Inuyasha? Feeling the pain? Perhaps I should just kill you now, I'm growing tired of your antics." Naraku smirked, a deep rumble of a chuckle escaping his pale lips.

"Kaze.. no _Kizu_!" Inuyasha shrieked, the Tessaiga glowing a yellowish light before four long beams of power shot out of his blade against So'ounga.

Naraku's lips turned into a thin line of annoyance, the attack pushing him back. It wasn't something his So'ounga couldn't handle, even if it was directly in front of him. "Oh please, I've seen enough of—" His eyes caught on to something blue. Amethyst orbs widened in sheer panic as he watch almost in slow motion the yellow light from the Tessaiga combine with the blue light that had come from the… Tensaiga.

"N-no!" He cursed, attempting to use the So'ounga's Dragon Twister to stop it. Once he summoned up the strength, he had used it against the Windscar and the Tensaiga. "Gokuryuuha!"

_"You fool! You've doomed us—"_ The So'ounga's voice echoed, but was silenced by Naraku.

'One more time...' Inuyasha's eyes glimmered at the exchange in demonic winds, swinging the Tessaiga again, "Bakuryuu_ha_!" Large whirlwinds clashed against the Dragon Twister, more blue light from Sesshoumaru's Tensaiga merging with it.

Naraku narrowed his gaze on the brothers that stood side by side, one panting in exhaustion while the other held his blade majestically and watch emotionlessly. The blinding light and tornado had swallowed him whole, the Lord only able to close his eyes to stop the light from causing any damages to his sight. 'No!'

"Did w-we do it…" Inuyasha panted, turning over to the side to see that the gates of hell were actually closing up, but not before calling back its soldiers with violent twisters of wind along with a cracked So'ounga. The gate had closed once the final soldier had been dragged back, the earth moulding itself back into a flat surface, as well as the hill that Naraku had created for his original perch.

Many shouts of glee had echoed through the dead field, though the two Inu youkai paid no attention to them any longer when the light had died down in front of them. They weren't surprised to see him still standing, albeit swordless but nonetheless still powerful. Naraku had possession of the Shikon and that proved to give him an enormous amount of strength on top of which he already had.

"God damn him to hell," Inuyasha cussed, holding himself straighter next to his brother.

Sesshoumaru had actually nodded in agreement, deciding that now that his task was done with the Tensaiga, his Tokijin would be more useful. He had withdrawn it and prepared himself along side his ignorant half brother, his molten gaze sparking with anger while his lips stretched into a low frown.

Naraku's body let off smoke in different areas where he had been burned by the attacks, though such wounds were healing just as fast as they came, the Shikon within him allowing the youkai to do so. He was beyond livid with the dog demons, and decided that to battle them he didn't need a sword. Instead, his true form would do just fine, and he would devour their souls. 'Yes, their power merged with my own will easily make me stronger.' He thought maliciously, his body already beginning the process of its transformation.

Inuyasha had curled back in disgust, the smell that wafted to his nose was horrendous on so many levels and putrid. He didn't realize that Naraku had two forms, and was awed at the size he was becoming, much like how Sesshoumaru would be when he would transform into his glorious dog demon form. However instead of being glorious like his brother, he turned into a large spider demon with various tentacles that prodded from his flesh and curled around his body protectively.

Naraku's humanoid face had long disappeared and turned into that of a hissing spider head, fur and various spikes covering his body while he had eight spider legs and the several tentacles. All in all, it looked like the Spider Lord had merged himself with a hundred different types of demons, only taking their greatest features to add to his own disgusting body.

"Filthy spider demon," Sesshoumaru muttered darkly, half wanting to transform into his own form to rid the world of this site.

"Let's get rid of this guy." Inuyasha added.

The large spider youkai let out a high pitched screech, the wave frequency causing the dog demon army along with the humans to cringe and cover their ears. Inuyasha had even tried his best to overcome it by flattening his silver dog ears against his skull, the hanyou kneeling as his head began to hurt.

Sesshoumaru had even the most difficult time blocking the excruciating noise, growling as he noticed his men were passing out due to it. Even the humans couldn't take it and their hearing wasn't even as precise as his, a full demon and Lord of the Western Lands. The title did him no good against this, and he was forced to kneel next to his half brother, a splitting headache plaguing him along with double vision.

'I-I feel like I'm splitting in h-half,' Inuyasha managed to think, still though too stubborn to let go of his fang to cover up both of his sensitive appendages. "D-damn it.." He squeezed his eyes shut while his mouth couldn't help but moan in pain. 'M-my ears are bleedin'..' He mentally groaned, his new demonic features slowly fading with the increase of pain in his skull.

'I-insolent, lowly spider youkai..' Sesshoumaru mentally howled at the sorry excuse of a demon. To think that this fool would be able to force him on his knees and cowering because of a single sound… That made his blood bubble with enraged madness. The first chance he got, he would gut the thing and destroy him with his Tokijin.

A loud roar had countered against the sound wave, an enormous white blur, in Inuyasha's perspective, had gone up against the spider demon. The white thing was at least the same size as Sesshoumaru's form, if not than much bigger. But what was it? Sesshoumaru was right beside him, right? He had turned his eyes and confirmed that the blur next to him was his brother, so what was beyond them fighting like that? With the loud sound wave, his headache and vision could only worsen, and for a moment Inuyasha had thought, 'F-Father?' Perhaps he had passed through the gates of hell and come to help them.

The sound wave was cut off sharply, the spider hissing in response to the teeth punctures in its side. The roaring of the opposing beast still continued, the thing clawing at the diverse tentacles and random pieces of flesh, ripping them apart.

Inuyasha was still somewhat convinced it was his father fighting to protect his sons, but once his vision began to clear, what he saw made him gawk. The thought of Inu no Taisho coming back from the dead was a bit of a stretch, but to him it made more sense than seeing a priestess riding on the back of a huge white tiger.

"Is that Byakko of the West?" Inuyasha heard Sesshoumaru mutter in slight awe. The hanyou could only nod his head, knowing that she used her powers from the elements, it seemed that nothing stopped her from actually conjuring _them_ to do her bidding.

"We gotta help, they can't hold him off for much longer." Inuyasha stated sharply, standing to his feet. He lightly shook his head and cleared it his eyes boring into the spider demon.

"Go, Byakko-sama!" Kagome urged from her perch on the semi transparent white tiger's shoulder, her metal kanji crackling in front of her. She wished she could summon another element to aid, but controlling such a large thing was taking up most of her concentration and a large portion of her strength. Some tentacles had managed to wrap themselves around Byakko-sama's torso until they reached up to Kagome. She practically whined at the hard work this damned youkai was putting her through, the woman withdrawing her sword and slicing through the things like butter.

To her horror, they would slither after being sliced off and return to the main pieces, meshing back together to attack her again. Really, could her situation possibly get any worse?

A blue light from bellow the spider demon had formed, lightning crackling around it.

Apparently, things could get worse. She had about two seconds to back up and get off Byakko before a blue lightning dragon caught her in the attack. She shot a nervous glance behind herself and flinched at the site of the tentacles still coming up towards her.

'_Decision time.'_ Kazekami's voice rang.

"Kagome!"

She slashed at the tentacles again and half turned, her blue eyes filling with hope when she spotted him. He was practically flying in the air, leaping effortlessly onto Byakko-sama's back like he did and grabbing her around her waist. Inuyasha was saving her, though he could be doing it a bit more softly instead of hauling her over his shoulder and leaping away from her summoned creature.

She squeaked in alarm when Sesshoumaru's Souryuha finally took place and surrounded the spider right after Inuyasha leapt off the white tiger creature. She had immediately released her kanji, and made Byakko-sama disperse before he was injured by Sesshoumaru's attack. Her bottom had hit the rough ground when Inuyasha had settled her down, not even bothering to see if she was all right before running towards the spider demon, Tessaiga in tow.

'There's no way those two can beat him wi-with just those attacks—' Kagome thought.

Inuyasha felt his Tessaiga pulse in excitement, the fang relieved to finally be able to use one of its stronger attacks. Sparks of Sesshoumaru's energy flooded beyond the spider demons body purposely for Inuyasha to use it against Naraku. He grinned cockily while taking a bounding leap in the air, swinging the Tessaiga above his head, "Bakuryuu_ha_!"

The spider squirmed under the two different pressures of attacks that were now washing over it. All the several different pieces of flesh disintegrating once the roar of the Souryuha and Bakuryuuha combined and increased in power. Though his spider flesh was hardly affected, especially since the Shikon provided a protective shell against practically all forms of raw power attacks. Naraku was hardly worried for his main body, but screeched nonetheless in pain as the other pieces of him burned.

Inuyasha chuckled and clutched onto the Tessaiga, landing softly on the ground before crouching and springing himself upwards again, the blade pulsing like none other. 'Here it goes, I hope your watchin' somewhere old man.' He thought, blue crystals slowly coating his fang blade with every heartbeat the fang provided. "Here it comes, Naraku!" He swung his entire body with his sword, the whole blade coated thickly with crystal.

"Kongousou_ha_!" Adamants broke off from his blade and barraged Naraku, piercing even his spider flesh with ease.

Naraku let out a yelp and a cry of pain, feeling the Shikon burst from his back with chunks of fury purple hide. "N-no! My Sacred Jewel!" He howled in his unusually deeper voice.

"Hama-_ya_!!"

Inuyasha vaguely registered an arrow whizzing past him towards the mixing lights of power and crystals, the boy landing on the ground softly and leaping away from the spider. Once the arrow had touched down, the light had become unbearably bright and his senses were tingling strangely at the mix of purity with demonic aura. He leapt back until he was next to Kagome, who still held the bow firmly with the string vibrating from her shot. Apparently she had taken the weapon from one of the passed out men near by, infusing her spiritual powers into it.

He had stared at her dumbly before a loud explosion was heard and he snatched her around her waist roughly, covering her from flying pieces of spider hide. "Kagome!"

"Inu-Inuyasha!" She clung onto him and buried her head in his bloodied chest. The last thing they heard was a high pitched screech of horror before another string of explosions and everything turned brightly white. The two of them were on the ground huddled together, smoke covering the entire field from the impact of the explosion.

Kagome couldn't suppress her violent coughing from the debris, her whole body shuddering from the depletion of energy. She lifted her blue orbs back up to Inuyasha warily, smiling slightly when she received one of his cocky grins. She lightly shoved him aside, trying her best not to blush from their proximity to locate the jewel. The grounds were still covered thickly with smoke, but her eyes could clearly see the Shikon in the centre of the damaged grounds where Naraku once stood. 'I need to get it,' She thought, standing weakly to her feet all the while ignoring Inuyasha's protests.

The woman had tapped into what ever was left of her preserves and had speedily moved to the centre of the wreckage, every step she took near a piece of decaying flesh purified upon her aura merely touching it. Cautiously, she had stopped in front of the tainted jewel and bent down, grasping the gem that was semi lodged into a piece of purple hide. Once removed, every single piece of Naraku that was left had disintegrated, and the Shikon glowed once again a bright pink colour.

"Th-thank the gods.." She whispered hoarsely, her legs wobbly with exhaustion before she collapsed onto the ground.

"_Kagome!"_

_"Kagome-san!"_

_"Kagome-samaaaaa!"_

She recognized those voices, they were her friends. Even if her head did feel foggy, she could still recognize those voices without even thinking.

"_Kagome-chan!"_

_"Damn it Kagome!"_

She turned her head groggily to the rapid approaching figures in the smoke, smiling sheepishly at them, her friends. Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango, the Heavenly Guardians and even Sesshoumaru seemed to be coming her way. Her blue eyes flickered tiredly from sky blue to chocolate brown, the dark orbs finally overcoming the lighter ones. She vaguely felt clawed hands shake her shoulders, her droopy eyes being mesmerized by molten gold. "Inuyasha, we got it back." She whispered surprisingly even.

"Damn it woman, are you stupid?! What if he wasn't dead, he could have—"

"Of course he was dead, half breed. Nothing could have survived such uncontrolled powers." Sesshoumaru stated coolly.

"Who asked you!" Inuyasha sneered.

"Oh please, lets not start any fights. We've all just gone through a grand ordeal." Miroku tried to soothe, his right beaded hand no longer sealed and held no devastating black hole.

"I could use some entertainment, that be a good change." Bankotsu shrugged, having awoken sometime during So'ounga's destruction. His fellow guardians had laughed in agreement, enjoying some light hearted entertainment.

"Oooooh!" Squealed one in particular, rushing up to the couple on the ground. "My my, since when are you so handsome, Inuyasha?" Jakotsu blushed cutely, darting out his fingers to touch the silver ears sitting innocently on Inuyasha head.

"A-ack!" Inuyasha stood up suddenly and backed away, "St-stay away from me y-you!"

Jakotsu purred, "Oooh, but their just so cute! And your face is so handsome, your jaw is chiselled and you—"

_"Hama-ya."_

Kagome's droopy eyes filled with amusement had widened in terror, the miko barely getting out a single word while she watched her once healthy hanyou drop to his knees, an arrow pierced through his heart. Tears were already leaking from her eyes before he had even completely collapsed on the ground, gasping for Kagome.

"Gome.. Ka.. Go…"

"_Inuyasha_!" Kagome cried shrilly, her voice echoing around them. No one was prepared for such a thing happening, especially her. She had crawled over to him quickly and turned him over to face her, her tears dripping on him in a mixture of salty water and blood form her face. She tried to shake him, tried to wake him up, but his eyes, his wonderful, sparkling, golden pools were now dead. "Inuyasha! Inu_yashaaa_!" She tried to shake him again.

She lifted her head upon sensing a new approaching figure, someone whom she had thought to have taken care of already. The smoke covered her features well, but when it had cleared up, there was no mistaking who it was. The woman still held her bow, a sly smirk on her face at the sight of his dead body due to her impeccable aim.

She wasn't a miko for nothing.

Kagome's hands had fisted themselves into Inuyasha's haorie, her once brown orbs firing up into blue once again lividly. How could she do this? How could she kill him after all the damage she had already caused? How could she be such a… A monster.

"_Kikyo!" _

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**A/N Dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnn! I just killed the main character! Oooo and by the hands of an evil bitch no less…. Well R&R!**

**Glossary**

**Inuyasha's attacks:**

**Kaze no Kizu – Wind Scar  
Bakuryuuha – Backlash Wave  
Kongousouha – Adamant Barrage**

**Kagome/Kikyo's attacks:**

**Hama-ya – Purifying Arrow**

**Naraku's attack:**

**Gokuryuuha – Dragon Twister**

**Jak: OH! I was in it this time!!! But why did I have to be the one to see him get shot first?! You know how horrifying that was for me?! I'm gunna have nightmares for life!**

**Moi: Beggars can't be choosers –shrugs-**

**Jak: You cruel cruel woman you!!**

**Moi: Hey! No complaining, you are in this chapter okay? Be satisfied I didn't kill you off.**

**Jak: You wouldn't dare….**

**Moi: Oh believe me, after all the harassment you've put me through, I'm ready to press charges.. So yeah I am dead serious.**

**Jak: … Bitch … -walks away-**

**Mir: What's up with him?**

**Moi: Eh, pissed about his role, no big.**

**Mir: I better warn the others.. He tends to attack Kouga and Sesshoumaru most when he's angry, I think their ready to file sexual harassment charges and get a restraining order.**

**Moi: Damn… But you know that those will never stop him..**

**Mir: Probably not.**

**Kou: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAh! Get away from me!!!!! –run's past them with Jakotsu behind him prancing-**

**Mir: Nope, no effect.**

**Moi: Haha, R&R!**


	18. Witness their Supremacy

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N LOVE you guys!!!**

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**Forest of Purity**

_Last Time:_

_Kagome's hands had fisted themselves into Inuyasha's haorie, her once brown orbs firing up into blue once again lividly. How could she do this? How could she kill him after all the damage she had already caused? How could she be such a… A monster._

_"**Kikyo!" **_

**Chapter 18. Witness their Supremacy**

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Her fierce glare was enough to bury a man ten feet under, easily. How could this happen? How could Kikyo get passed everyone undetected and escape her Binding Dragon for that matter? Nothing made any sense to the miko, nothing at all. Inuyasha, having only insulted her moments ago, was now in her arms, dead. 'How… How could this happen to him? Why.. Why wasn't I strong enough to hold her back?! I…' She sniffled, a sob lodged into her throat as she tried to hold back her grief.

Her fragile frame shook uncontrollably while she continued to stare at Inuyasha's motionless body, running her fingers through his silvery locks. She was always jealous of his perfect hair, no split ends, no need to wash constantly. Perhaps it was a demon thing, or maybe he just had some incredible secret he was keeping from her about hair treatment. Either way, she would never get to know since he clearly wasn't going to be able to tell her. She just continued to run her hands through his hair, softly rub one of is ears, and then moving to caress his cheek with her thumb. The weight of his head in her lap was comforting in a way, she just wished he was peacefully sleeping instead of being…

_'Don't blame yourself for what happened woman, it is not—'_ Kazekami tried to calm her.

'But it is my fault!' She mentally interrupted the blade, clear specks of salty liquid were defiant enough to drop from her sparkling blue orbs, splashing onto Inuyasha's cheek. 'I have to finish this.'

"You bitch! I'll kill you myself for doing this!" Bankotsu roared, ready to face Kikyo even without his Banryuu.

"Hell, count me in!" Jakotsu added, his snake-like sword already by his side.

Miroku and Sango had also joined in, while Kouga growled and flexed his claws dangerously. "Inuyasha was our friend, and we'll make sure he gets avenged whore." Kouga seethed.

Kikyo shook her head at their behaviour, reaching into her shirt to pull out a dangling orb of light. Everyone recognized it upon laying eyes on it, except that they looked from her necklace to the one that Kagome held in her clenched fists. "Did you really think that Tsubaki would be the only one carrying such a prized trinket?"

That sentence alone made Kagome double back to the binding technique she used on Kikyo. It was meant solely to bind her inner powers, to make her completely useless in fighting against it. She hadn't considered the effects of an outside source against her dragon. She had underestimated her opponent and in the end, it really was her fault this all happened. 'I caused his death because of how stupid… I…' She choked on her sobs, lowering her body even more to hug Inuyasha's head on her lap. She brushed his soft locks against her cheek, sniffling loudly. "Inuyasha, I'm so sorry…" She whispered, "I'm so sorry.."

_'Kagome-san…'_ Kazekami murmured in her mind.

Their attention had drawn in on Kagome, some of them shuddering as a wave washed through them. It took a few moments for them to realize that it was Kagome that was causing it, her body pulsing with uncontrollable sadness and rage mixed into her aura. Whatever power she had left, wasn't much, until she began to force it from her body.

She had dropped Inuyasha's head gently onto the ground, her tear and blood stained face focused on his until she stood. Her friends had tried to stop her, but she had motioned them away, giving them a look of pure sadness, but also determination. She knew what she had to do, and she should have done it long ago.

"L-leave her to me. Please st-stay back." She pleaded in a cracked voice, her blue eyes turning back to Kikyo, who smiled arrogantly at her.

"And what do you suppose you are going to do to me, Kagome-chan? You can't kill me, you don't have it in you…" She taunted with a snicker.

"Oh _I_ sure as hell do, you bit—" Jakotsu hissed, but stopped when Renkotsu placed a hand on his shoulder. He shot his friend a glare and crossed his arms in a pout, wanting to rip the woman's eyes out for what she did to his handsome new friend.

Kagome mentally sighed at Jakotsu, but nonetheless kept her face stony while she barely moved forward. Her body screamed for her to stop, but she refused until she was in front of Inuyasha protectively. "I don't plan on killing you, Kikyo-_chan_." Kagome smiled knowingly, forming a new hand sign.

"Then you're wasting your time," Kikyo let her fake jewel drop against her neck to withdraw another arrow from her quiver. "I'll just kill you then, not that you could hurt me anyways. You're weak, and you always have been. Too weak to protect a village and too weak to even protect one little monster."

_'Don't do it Kagome… You're forcing too much strain on your body! You'll die if you do this--!'_ Kazekami warned in heavy alarm, trying his best to calm the woman down.

She ignored him, and forced her body to respond to the amount of power she needed. She could feel her insides burn against her wishes, however her spiritual powers coming to her aid despite it all. "Element release:" She began, a single bright kanji crackling brightly before her.

Kikyo stared at the kanji with interest, forming a barrier around herself for good measure. Nothing would be able to get by it, not while she had the power of a fake Sacred Jewel powering it. "It won't work little girl." She mocked, knocking back her arrow.

Kagome breathed a calming breath before continuing, the warnings sounding in her head from the blade still being completely ignored, "Five Protective Kings _Seal_!" Upon the shout of the command, the single kanji that flared before her had split into five separate kanji's, each representing a different element. Already, Kagome could feel her legs wobbling and her breath coming in short pants. Her eyesight was weary, but her determination to do this, kept her awake and going.

_Water_. "Genbu-sama, Black Turtle to the North."

_Wood_. "Seiryuu-sama, Azure Dragon to the East."

_Earth_. "Huang-Long-sama, Yellow Dragon of the Centre."

_Fire_. "Suzaku-sama, Vermillion Phoenix to the South."

_Metal_. "Byakko-sama, White Tiger to the West."

Kagome introduced each of them as they appeared from their respective symbols, each first in their animal form before crackling and turning into their humanoid figures. Every semi-transparent spirit was male, the Fire Elements form being debatable but was most likely also male. They were all carrying their own strong auras, and were all just as handsome as they were strong.

The dark miko couldn't stand the look of haughtiness that Kagome so politely gave, her bow quivering in her grasp angrily at the thought of the silly girl. She clenched her teeth tightly, the low frown set on her lips curling up into a sly smirk once she let her arrow fly. Such a joyous feeling rushed through her body as she watched her arrow fly towards that stupid little girl, happy to finally be able to kill the wench once and for all.

The arrow that was supposedly going to kill Kagome hadn't even made its way past the Kings before disintegrating, making the dark miko gawk furiously. They were just images of the spirits, weren't they? It was a trick to spook her, they weren't real, they couldn't be real because no one…

Not a single miko in the history of Pure Miko's had actually been able to summon all Five Kings—There just was no way this was real!

But Kagome stood there, confidently with them by her side, panting as if she was using her power to keep them there. She…

Kikyo hadn't been able to finish her thought when she caught a glimpse of every element withdrawing what looked like weapons. She had stepped back hesitantly, about to reach back for another arrow when she body suddenly stopped moving. Her eyes had widened in pure shock, the woman letting out a loud gasp.

Where the Earth Spirit now stood was in front of Kikyo, his perfectly made katana passing directly through the woman's chest. No blood was shed, however the Katana still inflicted some form of pain that she couldn't describe. It also kept her firmly in place while this torture continued with another weapon piercing through her left side.

A double edged sword was now through her left wrist, the Wood Spirit glaring daggers at the woman. She somewhat guessed that he was enjoying this since she had destroyed his little seal on her once before.

A spear had punctured her right wrist, courtesy of the Metal Spirit hissing at her viciously. His white short hair reminded her of the rabid dog she had just put out of misery and she hissed back at him, well she attempted to at least. Her body was still being reluctant to move, and she gathered it was because of the katana in her centre.

She grinded her teeth roughly to keep from screaming, feeling even more pain coming from both of her ankles suddenly. She could barely crane her head down to see, but noticed with a wince twin scythe-like blades halfway through her ankles. A chain linked from both of the blades dragged up to the Fire Spirit staring emotionlessly at her.

Her body felt like it was on fire, and she nearly felt her heart die when a curved sword plunged into her forehead and passed straight through. Yet again, no blood was present, but she was in an incredible amount of pain and stared in pure fear at the Water Spirit boring into her.

What may have felt like hours to Kikyo had only lasted ten seconds to everyone else who watched the scene unfold. When every element had attacked her and held their place, they had separated just as fast and landed in front of their respective kanji's. Kikyo's barrier had long ago been destroyed, her jewel also broken to pieces the moment the first element had attacked her. The woman had fallen to her knees gasping for air and clutching her heart. Each place she had been pierced was replaced with a tattoo of the attackers element kanji.

Kikyo had frantically looked at both her wrists, then checked her ankles and had even peaked into her shirt. She knew that if every place had a tattoo then that included her forehead. She just stared in utter horror at her wrists, and the symbols, "Wh-what did you do to me?!! What are _these_?!" She shrieked loudly.

Kagome silently thanked the elements for obeying her pleas, and released them once their jobs had been completed. It hadn't gone unnoticed by anyone when they all had turned to her and nodded right before their kanji's had shimmered and vanished. Kagome continued to breathe heavily, her eyelids droopy with exhaustion, "You'll find that you can now never use your powers again. Any natural talent for weapon handling is also gone. I've sealed away all of your abilities, and they can never be undone. Nothing can undo the power of the Five Protective Kings." Kagome told her with a slight slur laced into her voice, backing away slowly to sit again next to Inuyasha.

"No.. NO! This can't be! _NO_!" She could hear Kikyo scream ferociously.

Kagome didn't have enough energy to stop her own guardians, and even Sesshoumaru-sama from approaching the screaming girl. All she cared about right now was Inuyasha. She had dropped to her knees next to him, while still holding the Sacred Jewel tightly, and sprawled herself against his chest. She could feel her life slowly slipping away with the growing pain in each of her injured limbs. The burning sensation coursing through her body was proof that she had forced too much power to be used.

Her once blue eyes now brown turned drooped even more once her head snuggled into his bloody chest. She couldn't stop the tears from slipping down her cheeks, and squeezed her eyes shut in a silent wish. A wish that could possibly worked if she tried hard enough. Just tried… hard enough… 'Please… I beg of you Midoriko-sama… Take me instead of him. Let him live again, and let me take his place. Please grant this one wish for me… I beg you please!! Please!' Kagome mentally screamed, murmuring aloud one final, "_Please_."

Her whole world had gone black, and the Shikon had glowed brightly as if hearing her.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango yelled with fright, noticing the black haired girl slump against Inuyasha. She had run over to her side and slid across the dirt, placing her rough hands on the girls shoulder to shake her. She repeated her name several times and then followed to check her pulse. She had gasped and backed away from the body, her face horror stricken.

Miroku was by her side and holding her the moment she had back away, mumbling a prare for the fallen warrior. He held onto Sango tightly, feeling her sob quietly against him with complete and utter sadness. "It's alright, Sango." He tried to comfort, "They're together now…"

"Sh-she was by b-best friend Miroku! W-we…" She couldn't even finish her sentence, clutching onto the monk as if her life depended on it.

Kouga was down on one knee, his head bowed to pay his respects, Ayame by his side also to do the same. It wasn't long before every conscious soldier, and friend was by the dead couple. Each of them on one knee with their heads bowed in silent prares of the couple. The once sunny day that had been clouded over with war, then cleared once again was now covered with a set of clouds that seemed to have come from nowhere. Perhaps the gods were watching now, the deaths of the two greatest warriors several humans and demons alike had come to know.

With every head that was bowed, Sesshoumaru-sama not excluded, no one had noticed the dull pink glow that wrapped around the two bodies. No one had noticed anything until Sango had peeked hers eyes over to gasp loudly, the dull glow now a bright fiery light surrounding the dead bodies. "M-Miroku!" She whispered coarsely.

All eyes were now focused on the two, glimmers of hope forming in all of their chests as they watched.

-X-

Darkness surrounded her. When she opened her eyes she could only see darkness. Her body was easily lit, but her surroundings, they were just as black as a pit. One thing was for sure, she had no idea where she was.

"Am I… Dead?" Her voiced echoed timidly in the blackness.

"_Woman_," A voice so deep, she almost thought that she'd imagined it calling for her.

"Wh-who is it?" She stuttered, mentally cursing herself for sounding so weak.

A rumble that she assumed to be a chuckle echoed around her in amusement, "_Don't be afraid, woman."_

"_We've been watching your movements for quite sometime, girly._" A new voice piped in, one that was lighter than the other but still clearly male.

Kagome turned her head and body to try and catch where the voices were coming from, but she just couldn't pinpoint the location. Hesitantly, she swallowed the lump in her throat and spoke, "Who's 'we'?"

She yelped when six figures glittered to life in the darkness, their forms completely solid and each holding their own air of superiority. She had recognize all of the males, and finally realized it was them speaking to her. The smirking male in the centre was the Earth spirit, whom she assumed was the one who spooked her first. The other one that was grinning was the Fire spirit, who waved amiably at her.

"Kagome-san," She recognized the velvet voice from the Wood Spirit, probably her most favoured since she mastered his powers first.

"Seiryuu-sama," Kagome greeted with a small smile.

The Water Element just nodded stubbornly, the Metal Element Byakko-sama shoving him for being so cold. "Kagome-san," Byakko-sama also greeted with a warm smile.

Although she knew all of them quite well, she didn't know the woman that stood in front of all of them. No matter how much she stared, she just couldn't figure out who she was, until it finally clicked, with a bit of humiliation, that this was Midoriko-sama. 'How could I be so stupid, my armour is almost a replica of hers!' She mentally scolded herself for her stupidity.

"Don't be silly Kagome-chan, it has been a long time since anyone had ever seen me." Midoriko stated with a warm smile, causing Kagome to blush with mortification.

"M-Mi-Midoriko-sama! Ah-ah I still feel awful, m-my deepest apologies!!" Kagome blurted, bowing her head to keep them from seeing her flushed cheeks. She distinctly heard Suzaku-sama's snickers, and kept herself from shooting glares at the boy. This was already humiliating enough, she honestly didn't need to be laughed at.

When the snickers were cut off with a yelp of pain, she could barely hold back her giggle when she looked up to see Seiryuu-sama's foot still overtop Suzaku-sama's, the Wood Spirit grinding it further until he was satisfied and removed it. Seiryuu-sama had smiled again at Kagome and glared at the Fire Spirit, their eyes battling with each other until they both looked away with a huff.

"No need to be sorry, Kagome-chan. Please, don't be so formal with me." She ignored the misbehaving elements behind her and focused exclusively on Kagome, her light attitude now turning serious. "I've come here to speak with you about your wish."

"M-my-?" Kagome lifted her head quickly, "Y-yes! I know it must be selfish of m-me but I—!"

"Not at all," Midoriko shook her head, "The wish itself seems fair, an equivalent exchange really. But I'm here to confirm it, are you positive you wish to give up your own life for the sake of a half breed, like Inuyasha?" She asked delicately.

Kagome bit back a snarl at the world, "I wouldn't have asked for it if I wasn't sure. Inuyasha deserves to live!"

"Why?"

That simple question drove Kagome to growl at the woman in an Inuyasha-like way, "Because his life had always been horrible. He always strived to live, and was hunted since childbirth. If anyone deserves to be alive right now, it's him. He deserves the opportunity to not only experience the bad parts about life, but the good ones too! He has friends now, loved ones. That's something he always wanted, and now he has it. He needs to experience those happy feelings. No, he has a right to it! I won't let him die because of a hate filled woman! I won't… I… I don't care what happens to me as long as he can live again, I'll be happy, wherever I am." She finished softly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears again.

She was silent, staring at Kagome with an unrecognizable look in her eyes, "You, Kagome-chan, have been the only miko to ever surprise me in such a way. You have my respect, my blessings." She smiled again kindly, "Your wish is from the heart, and a wish like that is stronger than anything in this world." She walked towards Kagome until she stood directly in front of her, "You have finally found the answer that I've been searching for in each miko that possessed me. You have found the key to purify the Jewel of Four Souls."

"I-I don't understand—I" Kagome stuttered.

"Your love for another, besides yourself, is power enough to purify the Shikon no Tama. Your wish was never selfish, since you offered your soul instead of his. However if you would have asked for his life to be returned while you continued to live, then the wish would have been selfish, and not granted." She explained, placing a hand on Kagome's shoulder, "I am free now, and the Jewel will cease to exist. Thank you, Kagome-chan."

With that said, the woman had disappeared, and left Kagome with the Five Kings, "W-wait! Does this mean Inuyasha's alive? I-is he?"

"Midoriko-san would never lie." Genbu-sama spoke smoothly.

"You're wish was granted, and he is alive again, Kagome-san," Byakko-sama added.

Kagome placed a hand over her heart and sighed with relief, her tears sliding down her cheeks slowly, "Thank god… I-I'm so happy." She sniffled.

"Are you really?" Came the deep voice of the Earth Element Spirit, "Do you not regret your decision? You truly do wish to take his place in hell?"

"Hai." Kagome easily answered, smiling brightly at them.

"Too bad we don't want you to go," Seiryuu-sama grinned, "You're the only one who's ever been able to bring us together like this, and we definitely don't want to let you go anytime soon."

"Wh-what? I don't understand—I made a deal with Midoriko-sama—!" Kagome sputtered at them incredulously, pointing an accusing finger at them, "Are you all trying to trick me? It's very insensitive to make fun of the girl who's about to take her plunge into hell—"

"This is no joke, girly." Suzaku-sama snickered, "Though we could always reconsider and send ya down to hell—" He yelped again when his foot was crushed by Seiryuu-sama. He cursed him with crossed his arms in a pout.

"Midoriko-san did her part concerning the wish, however we've chosen to keep you alive and have overruled her power." Byakko-sama explained, still earning confused glances from the girl. "Midoriko-san was merely a woman like you who had exponential amounts of spiritual powers that were then melded into a power source, The Shikon no Tama. We are much more powerful than her and together we can easily give you back your life."

"Inuyasha would want this, the hanyou would never be able to live happily without you by his side." Genbu-sama said gruffly.

She sniffled, and wiped her tear stained face with the back of her pale hand, "Y-you're all being serious..? You really mean that I don't have to die?"

"Oh my _gods_…!" Suzaku-sama's patience had finally grown thin enough, "I'll send you back myself!" He shouted impatiently, doing a hand movement that had pushed her and made her fall backwards.

Before she left, she could see, but not hear, Seiryuu-sama shouting and beating the daylights out of Suzaku-sama for what she assumed was for sending her back too early. She giggled at their juvenile acts, not having expected the spirits to behave quite like this. She thought that they would all be as frightfully serious as the Earth and Water Element, or even her blade. Bickering children was not how she would image they acted, not at all.

She looked down bellow her, a white light forming a few yards away from her head. Her body dropped into the light like a sack of potatoes, and then her eyes had shot open. She sat up quickly with a gasp, as if she had awoken from a terrifying nightmare. She squinted her gaze while breathing heavily, trying her best to observe her surroundings.

Things were just so bright and blurry for her, no matter how many times she blinked things just wouldn't clear up. The room she was in, from what she could tell, had brown walls. Judging by the feel of everything, she was located on a small futon with a white blanket. 'I must be in the fortress,' Kagome thought, groping around her body to see if there was anything else around. Her hand had collided with something soft, but warm. Turning her head, she could make out a fairly large red blob right next to her bed.

She inched away in alarm, looking over her hand frantically to see if there was any red on it. 'Is-is that blood?!—Is…' She mentally stuttered, but did not find any of the liquid substance staining her fingers. With a sigh of relief, she placed her hand down and observed the blob from her position, huddled in the white blanket. Whatever it was, it was starting to shift, a tan coloured thing came out of the red blob and patted the edge of her bed in what she believed was in search of her. She squeaked when it had suddenly shot up from the floor, now silver bleeding into her vision.

"Ka-Kagome!"

'It knows my—Wait… That voice. Th-they re-really weren't lying. It's him isn't it?' Kagome thought, swallowing a large lump in her throat.

Inuyasha observed the woman, her scent reeking with fright and shock. What was wrong with her? Was she afraid, because of him? "Kagome?" He spoke gently, "Are you okay..?" He reached a clawed hand out to her, her eyes wide and darting over him frantically and back down to his hand. "Kago—"

"Inuyasha!" She screeched coarsely, throwing herself against him roughly. Upon impact, the two of them winced, but ignored the pain and embraced each other tightly. She could feel him nuzzling her neck in a comforting way, growling so low it almost sounded like a purr as he tried to calm her. She was just so happy to see him, albeit a little bit blindly, and to feel him. He was real, it wasn't a dream! He was _alive_.

"You're back, I missed you so much. I missed you so much Inuyasha," Her voice cracked, small sobs causing her body to shudder against his weakly.

Inuyasha nodded against her, rubbing circles along her shoulder while his nose dug into her hair and neck. "I missed you too, wench." He chuckled against her neck, "You've been out of it for five days, you know that? I've been waiting to hold you like this, for a long time."

Kagome gaped, "F-five days?"

Inuyasha pulled away from her and nodded, "Yeah, I woke up five days ago with you sprawled on top of me. There was some weird light around us, and everyone was on their knees starin' at us." He snorted, "It was like they were prayin' to the dead or somethin'."

"You were dead!" Kagome accused, prodding a finger against his chest. "You died and I brought you back!"

"That's what everyone keeps tellin' me, but I figured I'd wait to hear it from you." Inuyasha shrugged, grinning sheepishly at her. "I remember I had some weird dream of a woman and five men. Then next thing I know, I'm awake with you on top of me, surrounded by some weird light." He scratched one of his ears in thought, nodding to himself and looking straight at her.

"That would have been Midoriko-san and the Element Spirits." Kagome answered for him, her vision now finally beginning to clear. His features slowly came into view, every line, every unique feature about him sharpening until she could see perfectly again. His eyes, as always, were stunning and made her jealous. His ears twitched with every noise around them, and his hair looked to be very soft and perfect despite the fact that they were just in the middle of a war five days ago. How he kept the knots out of his mane was beyond her. 'That's right, I do want to know how he can take such good care of his hair so easily…'

She looked down at herself, her cheeks flushing at the simple white gown she wore. Nothing was really left to the imagination and it made her cheeks burn that much more while she sat in Inuyasha's arms. Her wounds were wrapped nicely, in fact she could feel them beginning to heal rapidly now that her spiritual powers were starting to recoup. Which brought up another series of questions for her to ask, "How are your wounds, Inuyasha?"

As if she was asking a stupid question, the hanyou had snorted and at her and shaken his head, "Mine are fine wench, I can heal pretty fast ya know. It's just my damn shoulder that hurts now, but it'll be gone in another day or so." He brushed off, eying her suspiciously, "Why? Are you in any pain? I'll get Sango to come in here—"

"No!" Kagome replied a little too quickly, shooting a look to the closed door of the room nervously. "I'm sure she must be mourning the loss of several villagers right now… I don't want to see how sad she is because of me." She murmured.

The half demon had cocked his head to the side, half wondering what the hell she was talking about until it finally clicked. Duh, she had been unconscious for five days. 'Of course she doesn't know what happened!' "Nah, there aren't any dead Kagome. Everyone is alive, even that bitch Kikyo. She's been placed in a village pretty far from here, beaten to a pulp." He chuckled, remembering exactly how bruised up she looked before she was hauled off. The dark miko, no the human woman, had a black eye along with several bumps on her head, a swollen cheek and lip, probably some broken ribs and other broken bones. She was really messed up, and had absolutely no powers to help the healing process along, so she was stuck to wallow in pain like an ordinary human.

"No dead? That's not possible. I only asked for you to be revived, and I only got brought back too because of the Spirits generosity—"

"Hold on wench!" Inuyasha growled, grabbing her shoulder a little too roughly and shaking her, "What do you mean by askin' for _only_ me to be alive?"

"I-I," Kagome stuttered, averting her gaze to look anywhere but into his molten gold orbs. By doing this, she earned herself another warning growl, and her face was forcibly turned for them to lock gazes.

"Kagome," A low rumble formed in his throat warningly.

She just stared at him, uncertain of what to say at the moment. All her attention was on him, her sense homed in solely on him, and how close their faces were. She darted out her tongue to lick her dry lips out of habit, feeling him look down to her lips before looking back up at her. His calloused thumb had moved from her chin to glide down her jaw, caressing her skin softly while being mindful of his claws.

She was just too tempting, with her soft skin under his hand. She looked so innocent, and when she licked her lips, it just unleashed the beast within him. He needed to taste her, even just small peck would do to satisfy this craving that he's had for so many years. The hanyou had slowly lowered his head to hers, their noses brushing lightly, their hot breaths mixing. She was luring him to her effortlessly, which made him mentally yell at himself for being so weak around her. He couldn't wait any longer for her now, he just needed her to know, prayed that she felt the same as he did for her. Slowly, he had dipped his head lower, mentally grinning at her clouded vision and drooping eyes.

His lips brushed against hers in what was first a chaste kiss. She hadn't responded for the first couples seconds, but then had shyly pushed her lips against his. What was an innocent kiss had quickly turned into a hungry passionate kiss brought on by the hanyou. He just could barely hold himself back, her taste now driving him wild with passion and love. He had nibbled on her bottom lip, then licked it, begging the woman to let him further drown himself in her addictive taste. He growled in approval when she opened herself up to him, his tongue gliding over every inch of her mouth until he found hers and battled for dominance.

A small crack had one of his ears twitch towards the door. He brushed off the sound as a result of the wind.

He pulled Kagome firmly against his chest, one hand caressing her jaw while the other drifted south to caress her lower back, her bottom, then her thigh—

Another crack, much louder than the previous came again from the door, along with a hushed noise.

Again he ignored it, grinning against her lips when she let out a low moan of appreciation of the attention he was giving her. He was about to gently break away from the kiss when a sharp and loud noise had instead made them slightly jump away from one another. He shot glares at the group of people piled on top of each other, sprawled on the door that was now broken.

He knew Miroku would be among them, hell Sango followed him everywhere to keep an eye on him so she was there too. What he didn't expect was Kouga, Ayame, Bankotsu, Jakotsu, Renkotsu, Suikotsu, and Kagura there in a heap. Even his half brother stood outside of the broken door, shaking his head at the group on the ground while he stood safely away from them. Of course he wouldn't need to push himself against the door to hear anything, he had incredible hearing being a full demon and all.

But the others…

Those bastards…

"A-ah, we can explain." Miroku laughed nervously, coughing a little as his lungs burned for the need of air. He definitely earned his place on the bottom of the heap since this was no doubt his doing.

Inuyasha growled at them, moving his hands away from Kagome to crack his knuckles warningly. "I doubt the explanation will be satisfying, Houshi."

"Oh no, it really _is_ a good one!" Jakotsu added along with Miroku, giggling nervously like the monk before sweat dropping at the hanyou's sparkling claws.

"I suggest that the first person on the pile starts to haul ass!" Suikotsu roared, wiggling impatiently in the centre of the pile.

"R-right," Ayame mumbled, removing herself first with Kagura. By then, Inuyasha was on his feet, and nearing them with a maniac look on his face. Oh yes, they were going to pay for eavesdropping…

The entire group had yelled in alarm, everyone now scrambling to get up and get the hell out of there, everyone being responsible for their own safety. They all ran out, Sesshoumaru effortlessly side stepping the group while watching his half brother run after them howling angrily.

"How foolish," He mumbled, shaking his head yet again at their childish behaviour. He had entered Kagome's room and approached the semi-shocked girl slowly, nodding at her in acknowledgement. "I've come originally to inform you of my departure. I wished to speak with you before I left," He narrowed his eyes in annoyance, "Now that you are _awake_, this Sesshoumaru has come to extend his… gratitude."

"Gratitude? What have I done to merit this?" Kagome asked in confusion, ignoring the loud crashing noises that caused the whole fortress to quake.

"You, miko, allowed me the honour of aiding in the defeat of my father's murderer. That enough merited more than a thanks, but a favour as well." He explained slowly, "In addition, I took it upon myself to revive all of the dead that fought along side you, using my Tensaiga to do so."

Kagome stood up, her body very weak from the lack of nutrition, "Y-you did that? That's why Inuyasha said there was no one to bury? You… Brought them back?" She smiled hopefully.

"…I do not repeat myself…"

"Thank you! I thank you, Sesshoumaru-sama." Kagome smiled warmly, "I suppose that means then that the favour was used for the dead. That is what I would have asked for in the end."

Sesshoumaru had quirked a fine brow, growling at the woman, "That was _in addition_, miko. This Sesshoumaru does not like to repeat himself." He warned again.

'In addition? Wait, so I can still ask for something?' Kagome blinked up innocently at the full demon, fidgeting under his hard gaze, "So, I can ask you for something?" At his obvious look of irritation she had laughed lightly, "A-ah, if it's not any trouble.. I'm not fond of asking for favours but… If you could at least come to a truce with Inuyasha, that would mean so much to me as well." She said timidly.

"Inuyasha?" Sesshoumaru breathed, "Hn, if that's all you wish. I will be leaving now." He closed his eyes and turned away from her, walking slowly over the broken door towards the exit. He stopped before leaving, inclining his head slightly towards her, "It has been an honour fighting along the side of the Purest Miko. I anticipate meeting with such a strong woman again." With that said, he had left her.

Minutes after Sesshoumaru left the room, Inuyasha had entered again with a smug look of satisfaction across his face. He had his hands in either of his sleeves and continued to laugh darkly, grinning at Kagome.

"What did you do to them?" Kagome asked, placing her hands on her hips in an intimidating fashion. Though the movement seemed hardly intimidating and more of a turn on to him.

"Nothin'"

-X-

Each and every one of the eavesdroppers hung from the roof of the fortress, tied up snugly with rope. They were all lined up next to each other, enduring a vast amount of humiliation from the combination of the dog demon army, taijiya villagers, and wolf packs that watched them and laughed. Everyone that hung there shot Miroku the deadliest glares, since he was to blame for all of this.

The entire crowd outside of the fortress had gone silent when Sesshoumaru-sama had stepped out, the full dog demon looking up to see what everyone was watching. A ghost of a smile had brushed his lips and disappeared quickly when he spotted Kagura dangling there as well. She had caught his golden gaze and looked away shyly, something that intrigued him.

She had been on his thoughts for quite some time, and it bothered him to no end. Deciding that she didn't deserve to be up there, he had leapt up and cut her rope. The Wind Witch had gasped but then breathed a sigh of relief when he caught her and undid the rest of her bindings with his claws. He didn't say anything, and just stared at her with his stoic face before ordering his men to move out in a mumble.

"H-hey aren't you going to help us down?!" Kouga shrieked from his spot, wiggling around to try and free himself. He didn't even get the bastard to turn around and at least glare at them. Nooo, he just kept moving on with his tough army…Jerk…

"Awww, why does the hot man have to leave so soon?" Jakotsu drawled.

"H-hey look! Kagura-san is following him!" Ayame tried to point out, awing loudly at the puppy love.

"She's what?!" Bankotsu barked, then huffed in defeat, "That's not fair.. If I wasn't up here I'd go after her…" He turned and glared daggers at the monk again, "This is all _your_ fault!"

"M-me???" Miroku said innocently, sweat dropping at the burning glares. 'I swear, once we get out of here they're going to kill me... I'm going to really die a painful death.'

-X-

Sesshoumaru had glanced back at the forest that was growing smaller in the distance, half smiling again when he spotted Kagura meekly walking with his army. She would be catching up to him soon enough, proving that the journey home would be an interesting one.

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**A/N Wow, another one done! This leaves me to write up the epilogue, and then this story is all done! Last chapter is up next! I can't believe it! Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this! Oh by the way, I was too lazy to describe what the elements looked like. So basically you can either picture them like the war gods from the fourth movie, or you can check out my deviant art page that's on my profile. I might have a sketch up of them if I'm not too lazy. R&R eh?**

**Bank: -mopes around-**

**Jak: Banky, what's wrong?**

**Bank: Because of that bastard, I couldn't go after my woman! Damn….**

**Jak: It'll be fine…**

**Bank: No it won't! I'll never find someone as attractive and fiery as her- -see's pretty girl walk by- Oooh, hey there sexy thang..**

**Jak: My my, aren't we the little player.**

**Bank: GAH! What has that damn monk done to me! I can't help it! I'm gunna kill that ass when I see him…**

**Mir: Hey guys--**

**Bank: -takes and throws-**

**Jak: -whistles- Wow, he's long gone. Why didn't ya kill him?**

**Bank: Cause Sango would castrate me. –shudders-**

**Jak: Hm, good point.**

**Moi: Haha, she can get a little violent….. well R&R!**


	19. Epilogue, Everyone's Ending

**Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha**

**A/N Oh my god, this story is now finally over… -bursts into tears- My baby is all done! I hope you guys like the epilogue!!**

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**Forest of Purity**

**Epilogue. Everyone's Ending**

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The outdoors, oh how she missed the outdoors. The singing birds, the beautiful greenery just beginning to turn orange with the changing seasons. Yes, she definitely needed to get out more since there was just no way she was going to ignore the changing greenery. She loved the fall season. The bright reds and oranges reminded her of a perfect sunset. 'Unless of course, Inuyasha decides to have things his way and keeps me inside the fortress until every scratch is healed on my body.' She thought with a hint of anger, clenching her jaw tightly at the thought.

He simply insisted that she wasn't well enough to step one delicate foot outside the perfectly carved wooden doors. Even though there was no threat for miles away including Sesshoumaru-sama whom had left earlier that day. Her forest was perfectly fine, even though it no longer carried its protective barrier. Speaking of which, she began to recall what Kaede had mentioned to her earlier.

The older woman had just been re-entering the fortress from doing some… target practice in the front of the home. At the time, Kagome didn't quite know why everyone was returning inside surrounded by dark clouds of anger. Now she knew, it was because of what Inuyasha did to them, resulting in them being laughed at and in Miroku's case, getting the living daylights beaten out of him.

As they passed, Kagome couldn't help but let a giggle escape her lips, motioning for Kaede to follow her to the kitchens. "Kaede-baba, I have something to ask." She spoke once she was sure they were alone.

"Ah, ye have a question for me?" Kaede-baba lifted one old eyebrow in confusion, but then smiled kindly. "Ask me anything ye desire, Kagome-chan."

Kagome beamed, "Well, it's about the Sacred Jewel. After I passed out, I never saw what happened to it." She fidgeted nervously, "Is it.. Still around?"

Kaede softly chuckled, "Nay child, the Shikon no Tama no longer exists. Did Midoriko-sama not tell you this? It disappeared when ye made yer wish."

"So that means… I'm free?" Kagome asked slowly, pointing to herself for emphasise on the matter.

"Ye and the Great Miko's to come. Yes, ye are free. But there will always be a Great Pure Miko born every five centuries, for the protection of those who cannot defend themselves against the darkness still lurking in the times." Kaede explained thoroughly, admiring Kagome's sudden glee that leaked off her body in waves.

'I just can't… I can be myself, I don't have to worry about some gem to protect anymore! I can do what a wish to do!' Kagome thought, ready to jump in the air with joy until she remembered her still healing wounds. She knew her hanyou would have a fit if he knew she was even out of her room.

And now here she was, sitting outside of the fortress, happy to finally have some time to herself to think properly. Her overall giddiness had worn off as soon as she started really thinking of what it meant not to have the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls around anymore. It meant, no barrier so no Forest of Purity to watch over, which in return meant no more contract to protect the innocent from the demons and humans alike that wanted to cause harm to them.

'Jinenji-kun will be in danger again, and Kouga-kun's wolf pack now has to be alert and on watch for any approaching threats.' Kagome thought sadly. She could always bring up another barrier as soon as she was healed, except that it wouldn't be as strong as the previous without the help of the Shikon and it would be an ordinary barrier. Meaning no distinguishes between good hearts and dark hearts, just a wall to stop anything from coming in.

"There you are!" A very ill tempered hanyou accused, growling at the woman for being so careless.

Kagome cringed for a second, hearing his irritated growls with her. She didn't mean to use Shippou as a distraction like she did, honest! He just so happened to be walking by her room while Inuyasha was back out to go and find and yell at his brother for approaching Kagome, 'Even though I clearly knew he was already gone.' She mentally laughed.

"You know, that runt practically had me fooled when he transformed into you! If it weren't for that stupid tail and the slight scent change, I probably would be back in there acting like a fool for falling for his stupid fox magic!" Inuyasha bellowed, sitting himself down next to her cross legged with his arms stuffed in either of his sleeves. "The hell do you think you're doing out here anyways?! You should be inside resting, not out here where you can—"

Kagome turned her head sharply at him, her fierce glares causing the hanyou to shiver. She inwardly smiled with satisfaction before resuming staring back at the forest. Things were unusually quite despite Kouga-kun's entire clan being right in her backyard doing god only knows what, and the taijiya's also still resting up. Sango had mentioned something along the lines of leaving tomorrow morning to go home, much to the monk's dismay.

"I am fine out here. We've got a fortress full of demon slayers and wolf demons. Nothing is going to hurt me," Kagome told him coolly, half smiling at his loud protests.

He had settled down and just scowled at her, "Whatever wench." He glared away then turned back to her, his scowl replaced with worry, "How are your wounds anyways? You didn't re-open them, right?"

Kagome laughed at his sudden change of attitude, "I'm fine, really. You always were worried about me, even when you were small." She sighed happily, remembering how adorable he was as a pup.

He sputtered incredulously, "Wh-what are you talking about 'when I was small', wench! You've only known me since I was around ten or somethin'." He grumbled, shaking his head at her, "Are you sure you're fine? Maybe you have a head wound Kaede-baba missed." He titled his head down to better look at her, "Or maybe a fever again." He placed a clawed hand against her forehead.

Kagome rolled her eyes and pulled down his hand, "Oh please, I'm fine Inuyasha." Though his eyes were still filled with disbelief with what she was saying, she explained to him that she did know him as a child. "Don't you remember at all the spell that was one you? Anything?"

The half demons nose shrivelled and his forehead creased in deep thought while his right foot absentmindedly fidgeted in his cross legged position. He remembered running away from arrows, just barely getting escaping the clutches of death as he half dragged himself back into the safety of more foliage. A spell? He shook his head and looked up at her, "I don't know what you're talkin' about, wench!"

She twitched as he repeated that nickname she so very much hated, "Stop calling me wench, you blockhead!" She hissed, crossing her arms in a small pout. 'I suppose some things are better left forgotten…'

"Keh!" Inuyasha's ears pinned themselves against the base of his skull in an imitation of her pout, "Make me, wench."

"Why you…" Kagome growled in a very Inuyasha-like way again, and turned her body fully towards him, ready to pounce.

He shrunk at her bubbling anger, slowly inching away from her with every crawling step she took to near him, "K-Kagome, you shouldn't be doin' anythin' that'll hurt you!" That did nothing to cool her temper, so he tried again, this time using a different approach, "Hey, you were sad about somethin' before I came out! Why were you so depressed?" He asked, his tone now taking on a more caring pitch.

She had blinked at him, the burning flames of anger behind her hazel eyes extinguished itself as she simmered down. Of course he was trying to change the subject to avoid a painful beating, she knew that, but was touched that he at least cared for her feelings on some level. 'Obviously he cares for my feelings, otherwise he wouldn't have k-kissed me, right?' She thought, forcing down the hot blush that desperately wanted to coat her pale flesh. "A-ah," 'What was it he asked me again?' She thought for a moment.

He stared at her silently for a few more seconds, waiting for her response. He sniffed curiously, noting that her cheeks were growing pink with what he thought was embarrassment or was she shy about something? Wait! Maybe she was thinking about some other male, like that fleabag wolf… He let out a growl while he focused on the wooden floorboards with interest. Yeah, he would kill that ookami if she was thinking about him right now.

"Inuyasha?" She whispered, raising a questioning brow at his odd behaviour, not that hers was any better. She had basically zoned out for a good two minutes, maybe three.

His ears perked at her wavering voice, and he had risked a look at her, "Uh," He snapped out of his mild violent fantasies of destroying the other male to look again at the girl in front of him. He had asked her something, oh, oh yeah! "So what were you so sad a-about earlier, Kagome?"

She visibly brightened at the mention of her name, but then glowered when she finally remembered exactly what it was she had been thinking, "I, I was just realizing that without the barrier anymore, the others that inhabited this place are no longer protected. Even if I did place a barrier of my own up, it wouldn't come close to the strength of the one that drew on the Shikon for power. Everyone is defenceless."

Inuyasha thought for a moment and nodded, "Well, it's about time they learn how to really live in this world. I've had to tough it out since I was a kid, so If a measly half breed can do it, than a dumb wolf tribe can."

"What about Jinenji-kun?" She asked uncertainly.

"Jinenji?" He tilted his head in confusion, slightly irritated that she used that suffix in what was clearly a males name, 'Maybe she was thinking of him and not the wolf! Damn, when I find out who he is, I'm gunna rip him a new one and—!'

"The other half demon that lives in this forest. You met him sometime ago when you were under the spell," She smiled again.

"Another half demon?" He half grinned, "Well, if he's as defenceless as you put it, then he can stay with the wolf tribe. The flea bitten mongrel won't have any problems takin' him in." He nodded to himself, "And if he does, then I'll just have to beat him to a pulp."

Kagome stared at him in astonishment. He just had answers for everything, didn't he? If he was so bright then, maybe he'd have the decency to answer another question that plagued her mind. The constant mental repeat of their kiss was enough to drive her mad for answers and maybe, another one of those kisses. "In-Inuyasha? A-ano, about earlier…" She began nervously, wrenching the fabric of her white robes with her pale fingers.

He uncrossed his arms to place his hands on his knees, looking at her again curiously. She was changing shades of colour again, and she asked about something that happened earlier. 'Earlier? O-oh gods, she means that damn kiss!' He also blushed, remembering how much his hands had actually wandered during that kiss. "Y-yeah?"

She was staring down at the floorboards intensely until she locked gazes with him, glad that she wasn't the only one a bit nervous about these things, "U-um, did you mean it…? I-I mean, wh-what I m-mean to say is, do you… do you um, like me in that uh… way?" She stuttered out, mentally cursing herself for sounding like such a fool.

His heart warmed at the thought of them being together, but his arrogant mouth had other plans, "K-keh! Why the hell would I like you more than just a friend, stupid girl." 'Oh shit oh shit oh god damn shit!' He mentally yelled at himself, wincing when she left him in a loud, cursing huff.

'Inuyasha! Y-you! Arg!' She fumed, trudging her way through the fortress to find a quiet place to barricade herself and die. She couldn't believe how heartless he had just been, really, did he have to be so immature about his feelings? Was it some sort of a male thing, or was he just born emotionally retarded? One thing was for sure, that was the last time she would ever go out on a damn leap when it came to her feelings. No way, no way she would do it again, no… Her eyes clouded over with unshed tears while she expertly manoeuvred her way through the various halls.

"Ah! Just the girl we've been looking for!" A voice piped from in front of her.

She lifted her head to stare at four blobs. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, refusing to let her tears fall and urging them back, for now. When she reopened her eyes, she found her Four Heavenly Guardians standing and staring at her with worry. "H-hello everyone."

"Oh, what's wrong honey?" Jakotsu asked tenderly, grabbing her by her shoulders to bring her in for a hug. "Did that meany Inuyasha have anything to do with this?" He asked, remembering quite clearly what the evil hanyou had done to them earlier in the day.

"U-uh w-well it isn't important—" Kagome hiccupped, and then covered her mouth quickly with her hand. When she felt her guardian step away to give her that knowing look, she shrunk slightly. They really looked ready to kill now.

"No way he's gunna get away with making our girl cry," Bankotsu announced.

"That's right, we'll tear him apart." Suikotsu added with a wild smile.

"Now now, there must be some form of explanation for all of this," Renkotsu decided to calmly tell them, but sighed when they ignored him.

"Please, don't mind him. Just tell me why you were all looking for me?" Kagome finally said in a steady voice, holding her hands up in an attempt to keep them calm.

"Hn?" Jakotsu placed a finger on his chin in thought, "Oh yes! We just came to ask what your instructions were. What with everybody leaving tomorrow morning, we were wondering if you decided yet if you were staying here or not."

"Staying here?" Kagome repeated, and then remembered that she really had no reason to stay behind except to protect the ones living in her forest. But that problem already seemed to have been answered. "Well, as soon as my wounds heal, I suppose… I've always wanted to travel, help destroy other evil demons that want to hurt humans."

Bankotsu seemed to be fairly content with her answer and had nodded, "It's settled then, we'll accompany you when you set out."

"E-eh?" Kagome gaped at them, "Y-you don't have to follow my orders anymore, the war is over and—"

"Don't be ridiculous," Renkotsu muttered, "We are your guardians, and we will continue to be your guardians until we die. We were merely curious as to how our next adventure would begin, or if we were to stay here."

"Yeah, but now that you said your going, there's no way we aren't going along with you. It sounds exciting to me," Suikotsu continued.

"Besides, who else would be able to help keep that silly hanyou in line?" Jakotsu giggled, smirking at Kagome's flushed face.

The girl had nodded mutely, the depressing tears she had managed to push away had swept over her again in happiness, glad that her friends were willing to stay with her. She couldn't help but hug Jakotsu again, and motioned for the others to come over and share the embrace. She used this positive energy to help cope with what had just happened moments ago with the arrogant ass of a half demon. With the hug ending, she had asked them if they knew at all where Sango was. She felt the sudden need to speak with her, and to confide in her what had happened.

"Oh, she's over in the armoury shining her Hiraikotsu." Jakotsu answered easily, waving goodbye as she sprinted off in the direction she was pointed to.

She had muttered her thanks to them before she left, then tried to find this so-called armoury. With all the turns she did, she had managed to loose herself a bit, not really knowing where she was anymore. 'So much for knowing exactly where I am. This place is much bigger than I expected…'

_'Keep going down the hall, turn left down the next and then right on the second door.'_ A voice instructed her with a small chuckled.

She jumped at the voice, knowing that it was probably in her head, like they always were. She also knew whom the voice belonged to, the velvety deep chuckle, and she imagined that knowing smile of his. It was definitely Seiryuu-sama who had just spoken, considering this was his fortress and all. So she had followed his exact directions, glad that she had been at least vaguely going in the right path to get there. Once she did arrive, she wasn't very surprised to see Sango with her other self attached to her hip, Miroku.

What did however surprise her, was the fact that the two of them were intensely locked in an endless make out session that could only be separated with her not only clearing her voice, or calling their names, but in fact yelling at them. She was immensely pleased when they had practically leaped apart, faces flushed and lips swollen. She couldn't lie though, she was jealous that those two seemed to have come to terms with their own feelings, even if they did barely know each other, their strong attractions was not unnoticeable.

Yet, here she was with her own problem and selfishly separating the two in hopes of having them comfort her for her loss of having such an affection returned. She was the one with the lifetime friend, she deserved to finally have love in her life! Right? What right did these two have to be together when they've only known of each other's existence for barely a month? She… She really was selfish, and hopeless right now.

"Sango-san?" She asked in a bit of a whisper, feeling a rush of emotions and her throat tighten with all the thoughts that had been plaguing her.

Sango, though embarrass, had noticed Kagome's distress and had been at her sides in seconds, with Miroku also on her other side worriedly. "Kagome-chan, what's wrong? What happened?" She asked, hugging Kagome to help comfort her.

Miroku had also embraced her, then nodded to Sango that'd he'd leave. Being the brilliant houshi that he was, he knew exactly where the root of the problem was, and he'd be damned if he didn't try his best to fix it. So he was off before Kagome could protest, though she probably wouldn't considering it was him and all. If anything she would batter him for, ahem, 'accidentally' brushing his hand across her rear. He shook his head and left the two, giving Sango his best 'good luck' smile while he was off to conquer his own problem.

"H-he is so stupid sometimes." Kagome stuttered with a bit of a whimper, sniffling loudly and wiping away her tears. Sango had brought her over to a set of chairs, and made them sit in front of a small flame that was used to repair armour and weapons.

"By _he_, you mean Inuyasha?" Sango asked sourly.

"Naturally," Kagome sniffled again, "He can be very clueless, you know? W-we kissed, and I- just… I-I just wanted to know if it meant something… W-we…"

Sango patted the miko's shoulder, "It's alright, I understand. Don't worry, Inuyasha is just very stupid when it comes to expressing feelings. From all the times that I've seen him, he can be very rash instead of thinking things through like a normal person would do."

"So Miroku's normal is he?" Kagome hid her weak smile when Sango coughed.

"Ahem, no that houshi-san is just _special_. And by special I mean he has unique way of displaying his true affections. I know his wandering hands can be bad, but his words are so comforting and he's so wise in many ways." Sango said, almost dreamily, "But that's only because he was taught to be good with words and making any form of nonsense sound believable. He's a troublemaking houshi, I must say." She explained.

"What is it you're getting at, Sango-san?" Kagome asked.

"Oh, well I'm just saying that Miroku-san is special because he was taught how to be how he is. Inuyasha, from what I hear, had been on his own for a very long time and learned how to survive by being strong and letting no one close to his heart. The last thing he needed was to be weighed down by useless emotions when survival was all that mattered. That is, until he met you." She pointed to the miko, "You need to give him time. I know he's stupid, and the biggest hard headed moron for miles, but I also know he has feelings for you."

"From what he just said to me, I doubt it." Kagome huffed, hugging herself.

"What did he say?"

"_K-keh! Why the hell would I like you more than just a friend, stupid girl."_

"What!" Sango stood from her chair, clenching her fists, "I'll rip off those precious ears of his!" She seethed, looking around for her katana.

Kagome covered her mouth when she let out a small laugh, "Sango-san, please don't do that. I'll miss his ears too much."

The taijiya's eyes twinkled with promise of violence, but not yet. She would take her revenge when the hanyou least expected it, that was a promise. "Fine," she lied, "But he is the stupid one for blurting such a stupid thing." She muttered darkly.

"I know." Kagome agreed.

"Why don't we go somewhere where I'm less tempted to use these weapons to kill Inuyasha?" Sango suggested, motioning to the various shields and swords that littered the armoury. None of these would be here if it weren't for her village, and she was glad they brought extra weapons that had come to be used by not only them but the Ookami as well.

Kagome had agreed, and they had migrated to the kitchen after putting out the small flame, where Kaede had already begun whipping up the next meal for everyone. It smelt heavenly, and added to help calm Kagome down that much more. She really did need to learn how to control her emotions, even if she wasn't the guardian of the Jewel anymore, she was still the Pure Priestess, and a role model for everyone around her.

Dinner was served sometime later, Inuyasha hadn't been present to take his share much to Kagome relief. She was happy she didn't have to face him yet, and had brightened somewhat at her friend's antics during their supper. She had come to learn that Miroku would be leaving with Sango to go back to her village. From there they would rest up and begin journeying to hunt down any followers of Naraku and other evil demons that were rumoured to be causing some ruckus.

Upon the mention of this, Jakotsu had told them that Kagome had been thinking of doing the same, and that left them to joke about the possibilities of meeting up again. Once Shippou-chan understood that Kagome was thinking of leaving, he too had said that he would follow her. He had grown attached to her in many ways, and Kagome understood that he most likely saw her as a motherly figure. She didn't have the least bit of a problem with this new development and welcomed it with open arms.

Kouga had been the next one to announce that his men had been scouting the areas for a new place to live. He said something about going to the mountains with Ayame-san and living there with both their tribes together. To this, Kagome had asked him if he would allow Jinenji to go with him, since he would need a safe place to be, and she didn't want him to be alone. As soon as she mentioned him, Kouga-kun had come up with the idea of the hanyou becoming their official healer, and thought about asking the half demon to not only join them but maybe also teach some of the other's how to grow herbs, and which would be appropriate for certain wounds and poisons.

All in all, it had been a long day that had extended into a long evening. Kagome was physically and emotionally tired. She could barely move her limbs to slip into bed, wincing when she felt a bit of tearing in her flesh. It wasn't too bad, but she had reopened one of her wounds a bit on her side. Even with the increasing spiritual powers returning in her system, it still wasn't enough to really start healing her gashes. Not for at least another day or two.

She stayed sitting up in her bed, ignoring the small crimson stain on her white robe in order to stare blankly at the wall in front of her. She could no longer feel tears well up in her eyes when her thoughts shifted to the hanyou, she was that tired. Instead she just felt inner turmoil and half wondered what he was doing at this very moment.

Was he thinking about her?

Was he as miserable as she was at the moment?

Or maybe he was perfectly fine, not moping around like she had been doing.

"I told you not to push yourself, now you've gone and opened up your wound." A familiar voice scowled, but in a gentle manner.

Kagome narrowed her eyes in the dark to see him, but with the lack of moonlight, it was very difficult. She desperately wanted to see that glint of silver, and warm golden pools, but found none. Instead, she was greeted with a black haired stranger, and barely resisted the urge to scream until she spotted what he was wearing.

"Inu-Inuyasha? I-is that you?"

"Feh, who else would it be?" Inuyasha shifted closer to her and sat down.

"Why do you look..?" Her voice faded when she caught his eyes. From what she could see, which wasn't saying much, was that they were a dark almost purple grey colour. His hair, once sparkling silver, was now inky black. The worst part had been the lack of dog ears that were usually perched on his head. Instead he had human ears hidden behind his long inky black locks.

"So human? Keh, I never did tell you… this is my human form. I turn into this weakling when the lunar cycle begins." He explained, "But even so, my nose is still more sensitive than a regular humans, maybe not as good as my demon nose, but good enough to be able to scent out blood in a room just fine." He paused, staring at her with an emotion she barely recognized.

"Is that why you didn't come to dinner? You don't want the others knowing of your night of weakness?" Kagome asked.

"Feh, why else would I miss a meal?" He snorted, inwardly wincing when she turned her head and looked down at her lap. He didn't mean to sound so cold, he just couldn't form the proper words sometimes... He sucked in a long breath, remembering what the houshi had told him.

"_Do not insult her, do not yell at her, and above all do _not_ upset her."_

He nodded to himself.

_"Now the best way to a woman's heart is with kind words, maybe some poetry—"_

"Hey you know, Kagome, how enticing your eyes can be? Sometimes, I loose myself in them if I stare too long, and I love to stare at them. Wonderful, warm, pools of hazel." He breathed, tilting her head up with one of his rough fingers.

_"—I don't do poetry, monk, but I'll think of somethin' nice." _

She stared at him as if he had grown a second head, "Inuyasha? What are you saying?"

"_Well if that fails, you can always try to impress her with your intelligence—"_

Inuyasha tried to keep calm, "I'm trying to express your beauty with a selection of words that best compliment your one aspect that draws me to you most." He tried his best with that one, sounding smart with an extended vocabulary seemed like a good idea that was working until Kagome gave him another look of confusion.

_"—I grew up in the woods, by myself, only interested with surviving against monsters, not learning how to speak like a damn noble."_

"Why are you talking like this?" Kagome asked, searching for any indication in his facial expression for some form of answer.

"_Well if that fails, then my friend you have no choice but to try to be the seductive hunter, ready to pounce on his pray. Now _that_ can't fail—"_

Inuyasha grinned at her sexily, shifting so that he was on all fours, and moving closer to her. She inched away slightly with every step he took closer, until she couldn't move any further due to the wall behind her. He placed his face close to hers, his hot breath tickling her lips, her cheek, then he moved so that his face was in the crook of her neck. He nipped at her flesh softly, feeling her shiver under his touch. His grin widened and he moved so that his mouth was next to her ear, "I'm talking like this, because you drive me to be like this. Do you have any idea how gorgeous you really are?" He whispered huskily in her ear.

_"—I can't do that to her! What if I get hit, or worse kneed in the groin for getting that close to her!"_

Although she had somewhat wanted something like this to happen, she didn't quite imagine it like this. She couldn't deny what he made her feel like, and she undoubtedly enjoyed the compliments he kept showering her with, but this was just not like him. Maybe he was mentally unstable as a human or something, either way, she had placed a hand on his chest and pushed him away so that she felt a bit more settled. "Inuyasha, stop it."

"_I see your point. If that fails, then just beg for forgiveness and tell her how much of an idiot you were for saying those harsh words—"_

The now human Inuyasha backed off almost reluctantly, having liked that personality very much. He half wondered what I'd be like if he were to get close to her again but in his hanyou form, her scent filling his nose like a drug. That is, if he survived this night and managed to get Kagome to forgive him. He opted to scratching the back of his head nervously and chewing on the inside of his cheek. "I'm sorry." He muttered so low, she had almost missed it.

_"—What if she doesn't forgive me? What if she doesn't fall for any of those weird personalities that you want me to do? What if she doesn't want to be around me anymore?"_

Kagome flushed, "What?"

_"Trust me, I know you may not remember much about me Inuyasha, but I do know how kind Kagome is. She will forgive you."_

He took in a large breath, "I'm sorry for.. What I said. I didn't mean it." He held his breath when he risked a glance back at her, cursing his moonless night for not allowing him to see her facial expressions properly.

"You mean what you said just now? Because that was somewhat nice for a change," She finally spoke, causing him freeze up dramatically.

She had missed the point he was making. Missed the fact that he was apologizing for the insults from earlier, not his antics from just now. "God damn woman! I wasn't talkin' about now, stupid! I was talking about when we were outside!" He blew up, growling at himself almost immediately after he yelled those words, and cursed under his breath.

"O-oh,"

He could see that her frame was shaking, and felt the utmost deepest regret for his outburst. Had he made her cry again? He couldn't really tell without his nose, and her face was hidden behind her hair. Damn he was so stupid, so rash, and above all— He blinked when he heard a small giggle.

Was she…

Was she laughing at him?

"Oi,"

She just shook her head and tried to cover her mouth to stop the giggles.

"Oi, woman!"

She tilted her head up, her body still shaking as she tried her best to control the strong urge to laugh out loud.

"Are you mockin' me!"

She shook her head vigorously, and only removed her hands when she found that she was back in control of her laughter. "N-no, I just realized why you were acting so strange. I-I thought that it was because of your human night, but then you apologized.. Now I see, this has Miroku-san's name written all over it." She smiled, "I can't believe, you tried to change yourself for me… That was very considerate of you."

"Keh! So you're tellin' me that I went through all that hell for nothin?! All I had to do was just say sorry?" He almost whined when she nodded her head. He had honestly gone through hell trying to rack his brain and prepare himself for approaching her tonight. All of that advice, wasted.

"Inuyasha, I like you because of _your_ personality. I like you as you, not as some poetic, gentle spirit." She explained, brushing some of his stray inky strands out of his eyes, "I like how your rough around the edges, even if you can be a bit dumb when it comes to emotions, I know that you do show that you care in other ways."

His cheeks flushed, yeah, she liked him. From what he understood, she really liked him. He smirk, "I like you too, wench, along with your temper tantrums you like to pull too."

'He—Wait what?!' She thought, "What temper tantrums?! I'll have you know, I have grown out of those a long time ago! I am not a child anymore Inuyasha—"

"Oh I know." Inuyasha purred, inching himself closer to her again, making her nervous with their proximity. "You are definitely _not_ a child anymore." He chuckled, lowering his head so that he could plant searing kisses along her throat. He nipped at her flesh, moving up along the curve of her pale throat until he began nipping and kissing her jaw line. "No, you blossomed into a woman a long time ago," His ears strained to hear a faint moan from her lips, urging him further.

He had slowly brought her into his lap, wrapping his hands around her waist as a starting point, "I just wish that I could have found you sooner. Being away from you, drove me crazy." He admitted, rubbing small circles along her lower back.

"I missed you too," She also admitted, wrapping her arms around his neck.

He was glad, and relieved to know that he wasn't the only one to have felt so alone when they were separated. He kissed her cheek affectionately, "You know I'd never do this to you, just to use you Kagome. I do… care for you a lot."

Kagome nodded, "I know, I just wanted to be sure."

Inuyasha sighed, he liked this. He liked this a lot. He rested his forehead against hers and just stared lovingly into her eyes, "In my human form, I'm more prone to being emotional than when I'm hanyou. So after this, I'm sorry if I don't show much affection, you know… around others and stuff. I just.. my demons side makes me different and I—"

"It's okay. I understand," Kagome reassured him, "Even if you don't tell me you care for me every night before I go to sleep, I'll know that you really do. And you should know that I love you too, and I always will." Kagome whispered.

His hands had tightened around her and he bit back a groan, she loved him. She loved him. "Keh, well now that you have me, consider yourself stuck with me, wench." He purred sexily, closing the little distance that was left with ease. He brushed his lips softly, taking her lower lip between his to taste her. When she hungrily returned the affection, he was half surprised that she was the one first to demand to deepen the kiss, and he welcomed it without a second thought.

Kagome had wanted to yell at him, for using that name again with her. But maybe, just maybe, she could get used to it. It would be a small price to pay to be with him forever, finally free, finally able to do what she's always wanted to do.

Seeing the world with her childhood friend, her most cherished loved one.

Finally, she could be like a normal woman in love.

Inuyasha pulled away from her suddenly, remembering something very important, "Oi, that injury of yours ain't gunna heal itself if it keeps bleedin' everywhere."

"It's fine, all I need are some new bandages and I'm good as new." Kagome tried to reason, because really, she wanted to keep doing what they were doing.

"No way, that old hag should have let me use my saliva when I had the chance! Instead, she used those stupid herbs that do jack all while I could have healed you by now." He growled.

"I'm fine."

"Take off that robe and we'll see who's fine."

"What?! I am not just stripping in front of you—"

"It ain't anything I haven't seen before—"

"—You what?! Pervert! You're just as bad as the houshi!"

"No, no one is as bad as the houshi."

"I begged a differ!"

On the other hand, maybe being a normal woman with a perfect relationship was a bit overrated.

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**Owari**

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**A/N All done! I hope you guys liked the ending! It was tough to find a proper spot to stop. So since I wanted to add something else, I'm gunna do a little bonus 'after the credits' type thing. Since I think that the ending should have included this scene.**

**Thank you all for tuning in to this story, and for your wonderful reviews! Even if you didn't review every chapter, that's fine, as long as I know you liked it in the end! Thanks again, you guys are what inspire me most! And I hope to see you guys when I continue my other fic! Toodles!**

**_Cut scene:_**

**Sango sighed happily from the other side of the door, leaning against Miroku, "I'm so happy for them, they're finally together."**

**Miroku smirked, "Well, if it weren't for my expert advice, they wouldn't be right now."**

**"Oh please, that advice of yours couldn't have done this." Ayame snorted, curling up against Kouga. "All I know is that I'm happy he's human tonight, because we can finally get away with spying on them."**

**Kouga nodded, "Yeah, I agree. There was no way in hell I would have come to do this if he wasn't human."**

**"I still can't believe he managed to hang us all up there." Jakotsu mused out loud, referring to the incident in the morning.**

**"And then instead of the others helping us get down, they pointed and laughed." Bankotsu added with a scowl.**

**"Don't forget, we were cut down by someone who took pity on us." Renkotsu piped.**

**"Except that the old hag just had to humiliate us even more by shooting us down with her damnable arrows." Suikotsu grunted in annoyance.**

**"If I were you guys right now, I'd be stepping away from the door," A smaller voice warned from a few steps away.**

**All eyes were trained on the small kitsune that smiled evilly at them.**

**"Sh-Shippou-chan, you wouldn't rat us out, would you?" Miroku swallowed nervously.**

**The fox kit's smile broadened even more, "I guess you don't know what us fox demons like to do in our pass time." He took out a spinning top, ready to knock open the door with his fox magic. Oh yeah, he would revel in exposing them to an angry Inuyasha.**

**Everyone took in a nervous breath, and then they all booked it out of the hallway faster than humanly possible.**

**Shippou tucked the top back in his shirt with a small giggle, "Idiots." 'Inuyasha owes me one.' He thought, 'and I've got the perfect leverage against all of them when I need it.' With that, he had walked off back to his room, whistling innocently.**

**_End of scene._**

**A/N Haha, I love Shippou-chan!! Anyways, thanks again for reading! And ta ta for now!**


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